Chosen
by Lady Artimes Blaine
Summary: Artimes appears in a flash of bright light and discovers she is in the world of Supernatural. She fights alongside Sam and Dean in the hopes that she can change the events to come, but what is her true purpose in their world? What does Castiel mean by her being God's Chosen? Did God send her to help the Winchesters or was it all just a big mistake? *First in the Chosen series*
1. Chapter 1: The Woman Who Knew Too Much

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome to Chosen! I know, crappy name for a story but I couldn't think of anything else. Anyways, this lovely story takes place within the Supernatural series and has no set pairing as of right now though it might end up as a Dean X OC pairing. I do apologize if the first few chapters seem a bit rough because this is my first crack into the Supernatural fandom and it might not be as free flowing as my other stories.

Looking Ahead: The Winchester brothers have their first encounter with the mysterious Artimes Blaine, who claims to be from a parallel world and supposedly knows their future because of a television show called Supernatural. After certain things are revealed to each brother separately, they sort of allow the ginger haired woman into their lives though they are still very weary of her.

Now enough from me! On with the show!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or anything in which I make references to. I only own my OCs and the plot. This disclaimer will only appear in the first chapter.

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Chapter One: The Woman Who Knew Too Much

* * *

Hunter expert of all things supernatural, Bobby Singer sat at his desk sifting through the many books sitting in front of him. He was trying to research angels…of all things. He was having some trouble swallowing that particular pill and if it hadn't been for his recent up close and personal meeting with the angel called Castiel, he would be even more disbelieving than Dean. He knew he should ask _her_, but he was extremely hesitant to do so with the Winchester brothers around. He highly doubted that the two bickering idjits would take kindly to _her_ and _she_ would simply add fuel to the already roaring fire.

He remembered when he first met the ginger haired woman three months ago. He had been out in the junkyard doing some tinkering when she just appeared in a flash of bright light. She had been initially confused and disoriented, but upon learning his identity, she proceeded to rattle off information about him, Sam, Dean, Helen, Joe, and even Rufus. It had taken him a few days to get over the shock of her knowing all that she did.

It took close to a month for him to even semi buy her story about where she was from and where her knowledge came from. He submitted her to every test he had for every monster and creature he knew and she went through it without complaint, naming each test and what it was testing for. During that first month, he had gotten to know her and by the end of the second, he trusted her a great deal. Being the cynical man he was, he held a part of himself back, especially after she insisted that Dean was coming back, that he would be saved by an angel, and that they would meet said angel. She had been proven right with Castiel's overly dramatic and grand arrival.

The brothers' argument became louder, drawing the older man away from his memories of the mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared in his life and he looked up from his books and at the boys.

"A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps…and Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!" Sam exclaimed exasperated.

The two morons had been going at it for quite some time which was quite bothersome when one was conducting research.

"Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one…at some point…ever?" Dean asked firm in his disbelief.

Bobby would have normally agreed with the elder Winchester but a certain woman had informed him that the angels had not walked on the Earth in over two thousand years. Thus the reason why no other hunter had run across one, they hadn't been there to find.

"Yeah. You just did, Dean." Sam answered like it was obvious.

"I'm trying to come up with a theory, okay? Work with me." Dean snapped not happy with his younger sibling.

"Dean, we have a theory." The brunette replied calmly.

Good God, why did he put up with all this crap? Those idjits argued more than an old married couple. The two continued to bicker and it finally got on the older hunter's last nerve.

"You two chuckle heads want to keep arguing religion or do you want to come take a look at this?" He snapped drawing both of their attentions immediately.

Sam and Dean put their argument on hold and walked over to Bobby's desk.

"I got stacks of lore; biblical, pre-biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit." The older man continued showing them an illustration of an angel reaching into hell to grab a soul in the shape of a man.

"What else?" Dean questioned wanting more answers.

Did he look like the Encyclopedia Britannica of monster lore?

"What else, what?" Bobby replied slightly annoyed.

"What else could do it?" The elder Winchester clarified.

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing, but I know someone who might know more about the angels." Bobby answered biting the bullet and getting ready to explain his most recent house guest that they had yet to meet and for good reason.

"Who?" Sam asked curious.

"Me." A feminine voice answered making the older hunter inwardly face palm.

All eyes turned towards the voice. There, in the doorway with her hands in her pockets, was a crimson haired woman with sapphire blue eyes. Her hair was long and weaved into a single braid which draped over her right shoulder. She was roughly five feet ten inches tall and had a somewhat curvaceous frame. She was dressed in dark blue jeans, a long sleeved black shirt, a navy blue jacket, and black combat boots.

"And you are?" Dean demanded in his usual snarky attitude.

"My name is Artimes Blaine. You can call me Artz." She answered smiling, completely unfazed by his hostility.

"Well my name is…" Sam started trying to be polite to the newcomer.

"You're Sam and Dean Winchester, sons of John and Mary Winchester. You became hunters after your mother was killed by a yellow eyed demon called Azazel, who you killed with the Colt, a gun capable of killing a demon. Your father made a deal to save your life, Dean, and you, in turn, made one to save Sammy which is what landed you in hell in the first place. You were rescued and returned to your body, in perfect condition, by an angel named Castiel, with whom you have recently met." She rambled either not noticing or not caring that both brothers had tensed up considerably.

"How the hell do you know all that? Are you psychic or some other crap?" Dean demanded his entire body coiling tighter, responding to the possible threat that the woman presented.

"Not psychic in the slightest. I'm from another world, Dean, also known as a parallel reality. In the world from which I come from, the events that transpired after you and Sammy reunited to find your father are depicted as episodes in a television show called 'Supernatural'." She explained calmly, her entire posture radiating honesty.

"And you just expect us to believe that load of crap?" The elder Winchester snapped eying the woman carefully.

She opened her mouth to speak her response, but Bobby spoke up in her defense.

"You should, Dean. For three months solid, she insisted that you were coming back, that an angel named Castiel would save you. She even knew about the hand prints burned into your arms." The older hunter stated calmly.

The ginger smiled softly at the older man in appreciation.

"You can't seriously believe this, Bobby?! It's crazy! Even by our standards!" Sam exclaimed looking back at the older hunter in shock and outrage.

"Crazy is what we do, idjit, but if you don't want her help then by all means, keep flapping about like a fish out of water." Bobby replied his tone extremely irritated.

Dean looked from the ginger haired woman to his father like figure and back again. It was obvious that they had formed some kind of connection over the last three months, but he wasn't sure how strong that connection was. It was clear that she knew things, but he wondered how much. There was only one way to find out.

"I'm going to ask you one simple question and you're going to answer it honestly." Dean stated giving the woman a fierce and determined look.

He closed the gap between them and bent down slightly.

"How long?" He asked his tone too low for the others to hear, but his eyes conveyed the true question.

He was asking her about something that only he would know about, because he hadn't told anyone about that time; how long did it take for that bastard, Alistair, to break him while he was in hell? She looked him square in the eyes, a deep sadness shining in those sapphire blue depths. She leaned forward slightly.

"Thirty years." She whispered her voice barely audible.

His jaw tightened as he just stared at her. Those two words had just ripped him apart inside and she was looking at him with such kind and forgiving eyes. It made him feel guilty for testing her in such a way. She probably didn't want to remember it anymore than he did.

"Tell me everything you can about the angels." He ordered his tone gruff but gentle.

She nodded her head, a silent understanding passing between them as they straightened up. She opened her mouth to speak, but the younger Winchester cut her off.

"You believe her, Dean? Just like that?" Sam asked an incredulous look on his face.

Before the elder Winchester could respond, the red head spoke up.

"Dean, I'm gonna borrow Sammy for a few minutes." Artimes stated grabbing Sam's arm gently and ushering him out of the room.

Sam went willingly, wanting to get some answers out of her himself without Bobby or Dean around. Once they were gone, the blonde turned towards the older hunter.

"Do you believe her?" He asked still a little shaken from his brief interlude with the ginger.

"Up until a couple of days ago, not completely, but Dean, she knew about Castiel, about you and your arms, and you told me that the grave site looked like a bomb had gone off. She knew about that too. She knows things, Dean, all the way back to when Sam joined up with you at Stanford. She knows things that only we should know and I was kind of there when she arrived. Flash of light and wham, she was there." The older hunter answered shaking his head slightly as he remembered that day, "Craziest damn thing I've ever seen…angels included."

Dean walked back over to Bobby's desk and placed his hands on its surface, staring at the illustration in the book again. The older man didn't know how right he was about her knowing things and Dean was one hell of a people reader. She believed that she was speaking the truth and that actually scared him more than the fact that she knew things. He was caught between wanting to trust her or gank her. His insides twisted at the thought of her lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. It felt so completely wrong so he mentally disregarded that idea. That was one life he couldn't end. It would feel like he was killing himself.

"Do you trust her?" The elder Winchester finally asked looking up at the man who was like a father to him.

His answer would set the path he would walk in regards to the crimson haired woman. Would he trust her or would he keep her at arm's length?

* * *

Meanwhile, Artimes and Sam ventured a good piece away from the house so they couldn't be overheard by the other two hunters. The younger Winchester eyed the red head like a hawk. He didn't know her, he didn't trust her, she had somehow swayed Bobby to her side, and had even gotten under his brother's skin. He didn't sense anything demonic from her…in fact, he felt unreasonably at ease while in her presence, almost peaceful like everything would be alright with her around. He shoved that feeling aside and focused on getting answers.

"What the hell did you say to my brother?" He demanded common courtesy being thrown out the window.

"That is between Dean and myself. I will not divulge your brother's secrets to you. Not unless you want me to divulge yours to him." She answered meeting his gaze.

His eyes narrowed, his body tensing in readiness. She couldn't possibly know about his dealings with Ruby. No one did…he had made certain of it.

"What secrets might that be?" He inquired extremely cautious, his eyes never wavering from the woman before him.

"Let's start from the top of the list, shall we? You're working with a demon named Ruby, you are banging said demon, using the psychic powers given to you by Azazel, and…oh, you're drinking demon blood. Did I miss anything?" She answered her tone serious and if one had listened carefully, a little disappointed.

Sam stared at her, his mouth running dry and his heart pounding harshly in his chest. She knew, she knew about him and Ruby…and everything. He didn't believe her story about her being from a different world or the crap about the show, but he could not deny the fact that she knew things that no one else should know. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed. His first thought was to kill her, the threat she posed being too great to ignore, but the thought of running her through with a knife or shooting her didn't sit well with him. He knew deep down he wouldn't be able to kill her. He just didn't have it in him.

"So what are you going to do then? Blackmail me?" He asked significantly on edge.

Hurt flashed across her sapphire blue eyes and the brunette felt guilt and remorse bubble up inside of him. Her eyes became sad, more like crestfallen, and she looked almost resigned. His stomach twisted into knots and he felt a little ashamed for being so harsh. For a brief instant, he reminded himself of his father which intensified his guilt.

"No. I just want to help you is all." She answered softly, her voice reflecting the hurt she was feeling.

"Yeah, help how?" He snapped causing her to flinch.

He immediately regretted raising his voice because it was clear from her reactions that she didn't like yelling. When she had flinched, it was like she had became a small and breakable child, cringing or hiding away. It made him even more guilty.

"I have to warn you before it's too late." She started determination slowly taking over her previous vulnerability.

"Warn me about what?" He asked using a softer tone.

"Ruby. She's not what she appears to be, Sam. She's working secretly with Lilith, so secretly that no other demon knows about it." She continued.

"That's bullshit! Ruby wants to kill Lilith!" He yelled in outrage.

He could see her fighting the need to bolt but she stayed to continue talking. He had to give her credit for being brave, but he was still pissed.

"I understand that you don't believe me considering everything Ruby has done for you. She saved you from yourself when you were going to take a suicide run at Lilith, she trained you in your psychic powers so that you could save the people hijacked by demons rather than killing them with the knife, and that she gave you an emotional rock to give you a purpose again, but she is manipulating you in the worse way possible…through your heart.

There is nothing she will not do to complete her task. A task which is connected to what will be happening soon. I'll tell you about the events that will unfold as proof of my foreknowledge then you can decide whether or not I am telling the truth about Ruby for yourself. I'm simply giving you all the information so that you know exactly what you are getting into." Artimes replied pausing to wait for his approval.

He looked away from her, still very angry that she would accuse Ruby of such things. He flat out refused to believe that the female demon was working for that white eyed bitch. There was no way, was there? Despite his faith in the dark haired demon, his instincts were telling him to at least give the crimson haired woman a chance to prove herself. He looked back over at her and saw the desperation and hope in those sapphire blue depths. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded his head. He watched as her posture visibly relaxed and she took a deep breath.

"Lilith will soon begin her campaign of unlocking the seals to a place called 'The Cage'. Only sixty six are required to open it; however, there are over six hundred seals that can be broken. Lilith will begin with a spell that will make certain spirits forcibly rise. It's called 'The Rising of the Witnesses'. The ghosts are in agony when they rise, so much so that their souls are branded with a particular mark, commonly located on their right hand. Lilith will choose the spirits of the people that hunters couldn't save…not only putting the hunters off their game but ensuring that the ghosts will gun directly for them. The only way to send them back to rest is by casting the counter spell and that has to be done over an open fire." She explained quickly.

The younger Winchester blinked a few times. His brain was trying to catch up and wrap around everything she had just told him which was a lot more than he bargained for.

"What does 'The Cage' contain?" He asked going with the first question that popped into his mind.

"The devil himself…Lucifer." She answered her eyes completely serious and her tone hard as stone.

* * *

Dean turned around as Sam and Artimes rejoined them in the living room. The elder Winchester noticed how his younger sibling seemed very deep in thought, periodically glancing towards the red head. He wondered exactly what had happened to them outside and what exactly she had said to his brother to make him look so out of sorts, but he figured asking either of them would just lead to a headache. Besides, they needed to get back to the matter at hand.

"Okay. Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?" Dean asked putting them back on track.

"At this point, Vegas money's on yeah." Bobby piped up.

"Definitely." Artimes concurred.

Sam nodded in agreement.

"I don't know guys." Dean stated having a hard time believing the notion that there was a God.

"Okay, look. I know you're not all choir boy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof." Sam stated catching on quick.

"Proof?" The blonde echoed.

"Yes." The red head and the brunette said in unison.

Sam gave her a weird look so she just shut up.

"Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it." The elder Winchester replied hotly.

Artimes leaned against the wall, tuning out most of the conversation. She knew all of this already so she didn't bother to pay attention. She thought about her first meeting with the brothers and how it had gone. She had known that it would be torrential and knew that wouldn't believe her or trust her in the slightest, but it still hurt. She cared so much about them and had heard a lot of stories from Bobby about the boys as they had grown up.

She was fighting every instinct she had to simply tell them about everything that was going to happen. They wouldn't believe her and that was okay. She promised herself that she would always be there for them and protect them for as long as she was able. She knew there was good chance of her dying along the way, but if it kept her boys safe, she didn't care what price she had to pay.

She was brought back to reality when Dean conceded defeat.

"Fine. What do we know about angels?" He asked not happy with the entire situation.

Bobby picked up a pile of fat and weighty books and put them in front of Dean with an audible thud. Th elder Winchester looked at the stack incredulously then glanced over at the red head, a silent plea in his eyes. She smiled slightly and nodded.

"Start reading." The older hunter stated flatly, disrupting the silent conversation between the blonde and the red head.

Dean looked at the books one final time before turning to Sam, his expression completely serious.

"You're gonna get me and Artz some pie." He stated firmly, grabbing the top book and walking away.

The ginger sighed as she walked over to the desk. She hoisted the remaining stack into her arms and faced the younger Winchester.

"Peach cobbler, please." She requested before turning and following after the elder Winchester into the kitchen.

* * *

Artimes and Dean sat at the kitchen table, books scattered across its surface. The red head sat in the chair facing the kitchen sink and the blonde sat in the chair to her right. They both were flipping through books and drinking beer; though Artimes barely touched hers.

"Why would anyone want to watch our lives? Sick bastards." Dean commented taking a swig from his beer.

The red head chuckled as she flipped a page.

"'Saving people, hunting things, the family business.' Some people watch it for the monsters and the gore fest. Others watch it for the hot chicks and the sex, but some of us watch the show because of the story." She replied sipping from her beer before flipping to the next page of her book.

Dean watched her for a moment, a curious expression on his face.

"I'm guessing you're in the last category." The blonde deduced.

She put down her beer and looked up at him, smiling softly.

"The story of two brothers, fighting against the odds to save people or to simply save each other. Never giving up no matter what kind of shit was thrown at them. Taking on all sorts of monsters, no matter how impossible it might be. You have no idea how many people are inspired by your life, Dean." She replied eyes shining with honesty and admiration.

He cleared his throat before looking away quickly. He could feel his face heating up. He was a little overwhelmed by how strongly she felt about this show…a show about his and Sam's life. He was a touch embarrassed and didn't know what to say to such honesty. His thoughts went in circles until a question popped into his mind.

"Do you have a favorite character?" He asked looking back at her.

Their eyes met and she smiled a mischievous smile, sparking his curiosity even more.

"I do." She answered.

"Who is it?" He asked his anticipation growing.

"Do you really want to know?" She countered leaning forward slightly.

"Yeah." He replied breathlessly, noticing how close they were becoming.

Her eyes softened, their sapphire depths warm and kind. His breath caught in his throat and his heartbeat accelerated but in a good way. She opened her mouth to speak her answer, their faces just inches apart but Bobby came into the room.

"Hate to break up such a tender moment, but we have to go." He stated firmly.

Dean pulled back, slightly flustered and mentally scolding himself for getting so worked up. Artimes looked up at the older hunter, her eyes tinged in sadness and worry.

"It's Olivia, isn't it? She's not answering." She replied.

Bobby nodded.

"That's why need to go and check up on her. Thanks for pestering me about that too. Damn old age making forget shit." The older man commented earning a small smile from the red head.

"I guess we'll get going when Sammy gets back." Dean stated.

Bobby nodded his approval of the plan and the two hunters prepared to leave. Artimes sat at the table, staring at floor. She knew it was already too late for Olivia Lowry and for several other hunters as well. She had advised Bobby to call and check up on the hunters in hopes that they could be warned about the Witnesses, but it looked like she had failed. She decided then and there that she would do all she could to get the counter spell casted sooner rather than later, hopefully saving someone, anyone from having their hearts ripped out of their chest. She could not allow herself to fail again. Too many lives were at stake. Her shoulders sagged like they were being weighed down by an invisible burden. Could she really change anything at all or was she simply a distraction? She honestly didn't know, but she knew she had to try...for Sam and Dean.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 1 of Chosen is complete! I know it's a bit quirky by not having a real back story to the OC that fell into the universe, but don't worry, more will be revealed about her in due time. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 2: Rising of the Witnesses! So stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 2: Rising of the Witnesses

Lady A: Welcome back to Chosen! I know, I know. I just posted this story less than twenty four hours ago, but I wanted to go ahead and type up the next chapter. To be honest, I want to type up the next three chapters but I'm going to hold off for as long as possible which knowing me, won't be long at all. *sighs heavily* Anyways, thanks to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed this story! Much love to you all and much love to Arya, who seems to read all of my works and is constantly supportive of my endeavors.

Brief Recap: The Winchesters met Artimes and Bobby vouched for her. Secrets were then revealed to each brother separately, causing some initial friction between Artimes and the boys. Dean learned a little more about Artimes and the 'Supernatural' show she loved so much.

Looking Forward: The Witnesses come to call and go after Bobby and the Winchesters. Artimes has her first encounter with a ghost, namely Henricksen. Artimes waits for the boys to come down to the panic room and discover what exactly is going.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Two: Rising of the Witnesses

* * *

Artimes informed Dean of her decision to remain behind and he was adamantly against it. He did not like the idea of her being left on her own when they had no idea what was going on.

"You're not a hunter, Artz." He stated.

"I know, but I do know how to use firearms, namely a Makarov, a forty five caliber JHP, a forty cal, a thirty eight, a nine mil glock, and a twenty two caliber rifle. Bobby taught me how to use a shot gun and I know what I can and cannot use on a ghost, a ghoul, a vampire, and the whole consortium of monsters. I'll be fine, Dean." She replied rubbing his arms in a soothing manner.

He growled, not very happy with leaving her behind.

"Best listen to her, idjit. Otherwise we'll be here all day." The older hunter interjected.

The elder Winchester looked into those warm sapphires of hers, conflict raging in his green eyes.

"I _need_ to stay." Artimes stated stressing the word 'need'.

"Future thing?" He asked seeking confirmation.

"Future thing." She answered nodding her head.

"Alright but call me if something happens, okay?" He ordered.

She mock saluted him, a cheery smile on her face.

"Yes sir." She replied happily.

He left her a few weapons; a sawed off shotgun, some rock salt shells, and a forty five cal with silver bullets. He glanced back at her one last time, still not liking the idea of leaving her behind all alone. He watched her load the shot gun with rock salt shells easily then slid the clip into the forty five and cocked it like a pro. She may not be a hunter, but she definitely knew her way around weapons. She looked up at him and smiled softly.

"Parents are retired Air Force. You learn a thing or two after a while." She explained noticing his somewhat impressed expression.

He laughed slightly, shaking his head and walking out of the room. Once the trio of hunters were gone, the red head moved swiftly throughout the house. She grabbed the red, heavy box from the linen closet and set it on the desk. She then moved to the kitchen and pulled out the drawer with the hidden bottom. She grabbed everything they would need for casting the counter spell and set it on the desk. She went back to the kitchen and grabbed several bags of rock salt and placed them around the desk.

Artimes knew that they would spending a lot of time in the panic room soon. She probably needed to restock the supplies. She went back into the kitchen and grabbed more rock salt. She went into another room and gathered up the shotgun shells and the iron rods. She took them down to the panic room and put them away. She frowned when she noticed there wasn't much provision wise. She hurried back up the stairs and bagged some food and drinks. She even grabbed a few bottles of hard liquor for the boys, knowing they probably needed a stiff drink because of all this crazy crap.

The red head placed the items in the panic room, sorting and putting away everything. She bit her lip nervously as she closed the heavy iron door. Artimes didn't know whether or not the Witnesses would come after her. She wasn't a hunter just like Dean had pointed out earlier, but it was possible that because of her association with Bobby and the Winchesters, she might become a target. She was a weakness that could be used against the hunters; another life they couldn't save kind of thing, but Artimes refused to let that happen.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She walked back upstairs and into the living room. She grabbed her bag from the sofa and placed the strap over her head. She had placed her extra rock salt shells and clips into that bag and her forty five was in there too, along with some iron pellets she found in one of the store rooms. She was nothing if not creative. She walked around the desk and quickly located the book that contained the counter spell and the information about the Rising of the Witnesses. She made certain that it was in the perfect spot for Bobby to grab and go. They would head down to panic room sooner or later.

She walked back around the desk and sat on top of it, the sawed off shotgun clutched tightly in her hands. She resigned herself to wait patiently for the trio to return home. It was going to be a long wait and Artimes forced herself to stay calm. She was about to have her first real adventure in the world of Supernatural and she was just a little bit terrified. Her eyes flickered about on high alert, just in case the Witnesses decided to make a surprise appearance for her.

* * *

Dean and Sam were in the Impala, barreling towards Bobby's house at top speed. The elder Winchester was on his cell phone trying to reach Bobby or Artimes, but was getting nothing for his troubles. The younger Winchester was recovering from his brief bout with the vengeful ghost of Henricksen. They had known from Olivia's place that they had been dealing with ghosts, but Dean was not prepared to be literally faced from ghosts from his past. That was a shot below the belt in his opinion and he was thoroughly pissed because he had left the red head alone to contend with a massive outbreak of genocidal ghosts.

"Henricksen?" The blonde asked in disbelief, lowering the cell long enough to try dialing Artimes again.

"Yep." The brunette answered rubbing his head a bit.

Dean growled slightly as he redialed the ginger again. He knew Bobby could look after himself but the ginger didn't have any combat experience with ghosts. He could only hope that she was alright.

"Why? What did he want?" The elder Winchester demanded becoming increasingly more worried about the red head.

"Revenge, 'cause we got him killed." His brother answered his tone tinged in guilt.

"Sam." The elder Winchester scolded not wanting his little brother to blame himself for something that was beyond his control.

"Well, we did, Dean." The brunette replied glumly.

Dean lowered the phone and closed it. It was obvious that she wasn't going to answer the phone which only fueled his need to get back to Bobby's house faster.

"All right. Stop right there. Whatever the hell is going on, it's happening to us now, okay? I can't get a hold of Bobby and Artimes isn't picking up the land line, so if you're not thinking answers, don't think at all." Dean countered fed up with his brother's guilt trip down memory lane.

The elder Winchester would never admit it, but he was extremely worried about the crimson haired woman. His thoughts were going in circles, always repeating the information he already knew. She had no previous experience with ghosts, ghouls, monsters, or demons and he just left her all alone with vengeful ghosts on the loose. His right foot pushed down harder on the accelerator, his insides twisting at the thought of Artz getting her heart ripped out like Olivia and the others. He couldn't let that happen.

Bobby trusted the woman implicitly and valued her opinion probably more than his own. If someone as cynical and cautious as Bobby Singer cared about what happened to the ginger and wanted to protect her then Dean had no problem with letting the mysterious red head into his life a little. His jaw clenched slightly. Who was he kidding? He had spent over an hour with the woman and he treated her like she was a long time friend. He was surprised that so little time had passed with her and yet it felt like she had always been there…like she was always _meant_ to be there.

He glanced at his younger brother and he forced himself to calm down. He couldn't afford to let Sam see just how worked up he was. All this worry over a woman he barely knew…what the hell was the matter with him?

* * *

Meanwhile, Bobby returned home and Artimes immediately joined him. She stayed by his side, knowing that the ghosts would show up soon. No sooner had she thought it, the lights started to flicker and their breath became visible. She shivered from the sudden drop in temperature and clung to the sawed off shotgun in her hands. Laughter echoed through the halls which made her throat run dry in fear. Bobby swiftly grabbed an iron poker from the fireplace and took up a defensive stance in front of Artimes. The lights flickered again and the radio turned itself on and started playing up a bit.

"Get down to the basement." Bobby ordered in a hushed whisper.

"No, I can help. I'm not leaving you on your own." She replied firmly against the idea of leaving him.

"Go to the panic room and don't come out until I or the boys come to get you." He ordered again, a bit more firmly this time.

"But…" She started.

"Go!" He shouted making her flinch in response.

She took a deep breath and bolted out of the room. She ran towards the basement and down the stairs. She skidded to a halt when Henricksen suddenly appeared in front of her. She raised the sawed off shotgun and pointed it at him.

"Are you really going to shoot me? Kill me like your precious Winchesters?" The spirit goaded taking a step towards the terrified red head.

Artimes swallowed hard, her hands shaking a little. She had never faced down a ghost before. Bobby had refused to let her go on hunts with him saying she was such a 'greenhorn'. She really wished it had been Meg that had shown up and not Henricksen. She could shoot the former demon because she knew what she would do to Dean later, but she knew Henricksen was once a good man.

"You don't have it in you, do you? You're not a killer like they are. You're not a hunter, just an ordinary girl, so just walk away. Turn your back on the Winchesters and leave them to their fate. Run away and live a normal life…away from demons and monsters. Go and live a safe and peaceful life." He tempted taking another step towards her.

Why would he want her to abandon the boys? Why offer to spare her life in the first place? It didn't make any sense. Besides her life was anything but ordinary. Even in her world, she was different from everyone around her. She always had been and here in this world, she had a chance to make a difference…to do something more with her life than just work a nine to five job, have a family, and a normal every day routine. She didn't want normal or ordinary. She was safe with her boys. She could feel that right to her very core. She would always be safe with the Winchesters. Abandon Sam and Dean? Turn her back on the brothers she cared so much about? No, that was something she could never do. That simply wasn't her and it never would be.

"Never cruel or cowardly. Never give up, never give in." She replied quoting the Doctor, her eyes shining with determination.

She fired the gun, the rock salt dissipating Henricksen's spirit. Once he was gone, she made a bee line for the door. She opened it and dashed inside, closing the door quickly behind her. She leaned against the door, her heart pounding in her chest. Fear was still coursing through her system, but there was a silly grin on her face.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but that something is more important than fear." She quoted softly, remembering the movie The Princess Diaries.

She shuffled over to the cot and sat down. She leaned her back against the wall and brought her knees to her chest. She rested her head on her knees and just breathed. The adrenaline was fading from her system and her eyelids began to droop. She was only just now realizing just how tired she was. Her eyes slowly drifted shut, the shotgun held loosely in her right hand.

* * *

The crimson haired woman awoke harshly as the heavy iron door was openly noisily. She looked up and breathed a sigh of relief as Sam, Dean, and Bobby entered the room. She bolted off the cot, leaving the gun behind.

"Dean!" The ginger called out before wrapping her arms around his mid section and buried her face into his chest.

Dean was shocked by the familiar gesture, but he wrapped his arms around the red head. He rested his head against hers for a moment, relishing the warmth of the woman in his arms. He had been beyond worried when they couldn't find Bobby or her and to find her in one piece and unharmed was a miracle he gladly accepted.

"You built a panic room?" Sam asked seeing as how his brother was pre-occupied by a certain ginger beauty.

"I had a weekend off." Bobby answered nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders like it was nothing.

Artimes giggled and released the elder Winchester, much to his displeasure. She then launched herself at the younger Winchester and hugged him tightly. Sam was caught off guard by such a friendly gesture. He had thought for certain that with how he had treated her before that she wouldn't want anything to do with him, but it looked like he was seriously mistaken.

"Bobby." Dean called finally getting a good look at the panic room and looking very much like a kid at Christmas.

"What?" The older hunter asked.

"You're awesome." The blonde stated grinning like an idiot, "Oh."

The elder Winchester caught sight of a poster of a swimsuit model on the wall. Artimes detached herself from the younger Winchester and crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at Dean.

"What?" The blonde asked.

"Porn addict." She mumbled causing Sam to let out a short bark of laughter.

The elder Winchester glared at the brunette, making Bobby chuckle as well. Dean hung his head in exasperation while Artimes smiled like the Cheshire cat.

* * *

Bobby was researching the brand seen on Meg's and Henricksen's right hands and the boys were on the other side of the panic room, making rock salt shells from the supplies Artimes had stocked in the room earlier. The red head was currently on the cot, dozing in and out. All three hunters had insisted that she try and get some rest. Artimes had initially resisted the idea but Dean had practically begged her and she couldn't say no to him. What could she say? She was a total Dean fan and would, more often than not, succumb to the elder Winchester's charm. She caught snip its of the conversation like 'Bad crap happens to good people', but that was about it. She had fallen back asleep again when Sam placed his hand on her arm and gently shook her awake. She sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked still trying to wake up.

"Bobby found the brand on the ghosts." The brunette informed.

Now that got her to wake up pretty quickly.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"Mark of the Witness." Artimes and Bobby said unison.

The brothers looked back and forth between the older hunter and the red head, but Bobby seemed perfectly okay with their brief synchronicity. Must have happened a lot in the last three months for him to get used to it like that.

"Whoa, hold on. Artz, do you know what's happening?" The blonde asked looking towards her.

Artimes nodded.

"Yes, that's why I had Bobby calling Olivia and the other hunters to check up on them and perhaps warn them of what was coming. I wasn't quick enough to save her and the other hunters. I'm sorry." She answered looking down at her hands.

Her body radiated guilt and remorse and it made Dean extremely uncomfortable. He didn't know how to help her or what to say to make her feel better. Luckily, Sam took up the mantle of offering comfort. He was the people person not him.

"It's not your fault. You did everything you could. You pestered Bobby about calling. You told me about what was coming. You even stocked up the supplies we needed here in the panic room." Sam placated placing his hands on top of hers.

The younger Winchester could see how much she was blaming herself and it really wasn't her fault. Lilith was the one behind all of this which just made the brunette want to gank that white eyed bitch even more.

"Alright, give us the cliff notes version, Artz." Dean interrupted slightly annoyed with how his little brother went all touchy feely with the red head.

"The ghosts all died of unnatural causes then they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They're like rabid dogs. It isn't their fault. They were raised on purpose." She started.

"By who?" The elder Winchester asked.

"By Lilith and this is just the start of it. Sammy can fill you in on the rest of the details, but the spell she used was so powerful that it left a mark, a brand on their very souls. It's called 'The Rising of the Witnesses'." She continued.

"It figures into an ancient prophecy." Bobby interjected seeing how hard it was for the ginger to keep going.

Her eyes were glistening with tears, but she was still putting on a brave front. The red head was simply too kind for the life that was demanded of a hunter and it was even worse that she knew what was coming and that there was only so much she could say or do. That was not a burden someone like her should bear but there was nothing he could do about it except pick up the slack when she reached her emotional limits.

"Wait, wait. What…what book is that prophecy from?" Dean asked recognizing the phrase.

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know, but long story short…Revelations. This is a sign, boys." The older hunter answered.

"A sign of what?" Both brothers asked simultaneously.

Bobby and Artimes glanced at each other before looking back at the brothers.

"The apocalypse." They said together.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 2: Rising of the Witnesses is complete! Kind of awesome right? Hope you like the humor. Had to do something to offset all the seriousness of what was going on. Shit hits the fan in the next chapter and becomes totally epic! So leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 3: Spirit Roulette! Stay tuned and keep your shotguns and iron rods handy, you're going to need them!


	3. Chapter 3: Spirit Roulette

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Chosen! This chapter was requested to be posted sooner rather than later by my number one fan, Arya, so this lovely chapter is dedicated to her! Also thanks to all those who faved, followed, or reviewed my Supernatural fic. Let me know how I'm doing with the characters and such by leaving a review. I want to justice to these characters because Supernatural is one of my most favorite TV shows of all time. So please help me keep them relatively in character, please! *puppy dog eyes* Okay, enough groveling from me.

Brief Recap: Artimes stayed behind to gather the ingredients for the counter spell while the trio of hunters went out to check up on some of the local hunters. Things go a little haywire when the Witnesses begin to go after not only the Winchesters and Bobby, but Artimes herself. She was reunited with the hunters once they came down to Bobby's ghost proof panic room. The brothers got the low down on what exactly was going on.

Looking Forward: Bobby and Artimes tell the Winchester brothers about the counter spell that will put the Witnesses to rest; however, they have to cast it over an open fire which requires them to leave their little safe house. Ghosts start popping up all over the place and things get a little dicey for Sam. Artimes finds her own trouble which leaves her in a very precarious position. The boys come to the realization that life would simply not be the same without the kind hearted ginger.

* * *

Chapter Three: Spirit Roulette

* * *

"_A sign of what?" Both brothers asked simultaneously._

_Bobby and Artimes glanced at each other before looking back at the brothers._

"_The apocalypse." They said together._

"Apocalypse? The apocalypse, apocalypse? The Four horsemen, pestilence, five dollar a gallon of gas apocalypse?" Dean asked stunned.

"Yep." Artimes answered though she had personally seen higher gas prices back in her world.

"That's the one. The rise of the witnesses is a…a mile marker." The older hunter clarified.

Dean turned towards the wall, hands on his hips.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Sam asked standing up.

"Road trip." The red head suggested earning an amused look from the elder Winchester.

He dropped his hands then pointed at her.

"Grand Canyon." He replied playing along.

"Star Trek Experience." She continued her eyes lighting up and smiling like the Trekkie she was.

"Bunny Ranch." The blonde finished making the ginger snort and cover her mouth to contain her laughter.

He grinned cheekily at her which only made her giggle more.

"First things first. How about we survive our friends out there?" Bobby interrupted trying to get the blonde and the ginger to stop flirting for five minutes and focus on their current situation.

Dean faced the older man as he perched on the desk, a hand on either side to support himself.

"Great. Any ideas aside from staying in this room until Judgment Day?" Dean asked with his usual snarky attitude.

"Bobby always has a plan…unlike someone we know." Artimes commented earning a playful glare from the elder Winchester and an impressed and amused look from the silently chuckling younger Winchester.

"It's a spell…" Bobby started indicating the paper in front of him and drawing the boys' attention from the sarcastic and witty red head that liked to torment Dean, "…to send the witnesses back to rest. Should work."

Both brothers looked at the crimson haired woman for confirmation of the spell's viability. Funny how they thought her to be insane yesterday, and today she was a highly valued source of information. It was definitely an improvement but it still made her feel like a tool rather than a person. She guessed anything was better than being mentally unstable in their eyes.

"Yes, it will work." She stated answering their unsaid question.

She raised an eyebrow at how quickly their postures relaxed. She was not infallible. She could easily make mistakes. She wasn't the end all be all sort of thing, but for the moment, she would let it slide because they were obviously stressed pretty bad by everything going on and needed a little reassurance from time to time.

"If I translate it correctly." Bobby pointed out.

"You doubting your mad skills, Bobby?" The ginger asked smirking.

Both Winchesters had to cover their mouths to prevent themselves from laughing at the indignant look that crossed the older hunter's face.

"No, I am not. I think I got everything we need here at the house." The older man answered giving her a withering look.

She simply smiled innocently at him and he huffed, looking away.

"Any chance you got everything we need here in this room?" The elder Winchester asked in a hopeful tone.

He did not like the idea of having to go out and play spirit roulette with the vengeful bastards that wanted to rip their hearts out.

"So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden? Spell's got to be cast over an open fire." Bobby retorted sarcastically.

Sam's eyes found the red head's and when their gazes met, her eyes softened with sadness. Everything she had told him thus far was true. Could what she said about Ruby be true too?

"The fireplace in the library." Sam said quietly, his mind going over everything Artimes had told him.

He didn't want to believe it. Ruby had always been there for him, but _why_ had she always been there for him? To kill Lilith, maybe? He frowned slightly. He realized that he didn't know what the dark haired demon actually got out of their little arrangement. He looked at Artimes again, coming to a decision.

"Bingo." The red head said softly as Sam's eyes refocused on her.

The younger Winchester was finally understanding that she did, in fact, know things about the future and now he was trying to figure out if what she had told him about Ruby was also true. She did not envy him at the moment but there was no other way to help him than by simply being direct. Too many damn secrets in this family and not enough communication.

"That's just not as appealing as a…uh…ghost proof panic room, you know?" Dean commented slightly put out.

Artimes rose to her feet and faced the older Winchester.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I did gather all the ingredients and materials required for the spell while you guys were gone. I also gathered up a few extra bags of rock salt to form a barrier. Everything is either on or around the desk in the library." The ginger revealed smiling a bit.

Dean closed the space between them and jerked her forward, his lips crashing down on hers. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she went completely shock still. She could feel her heart throbbing hard and fast in her chest and the heat started to rise to her cheeks. He pulled away with that ridiculously charming smile of his.

"You…" He started placing a quick and gentle kiss to her head, "…are totally awesome."

Her blush deepened as she just continued to stare at him, still too stunned to move. She had not been expecting that in a million years and her inner fan girl just died and went to heaven. Bobby cleared his throat conspicuously.

"You two done making out because we have a spell to cast." The older hunter stated bluntly.

Artimes blushed six shades of scarlet and quickly looked down at her feet. She swallowed hard, still out of sorts from being kissed by the devilish handsome Dean Winchester. Dean sent a smug smirk towards his brother, who simply give him a dead panned expression that said 'Really, Dean?'. The blonde continued to smirk as he gathered up their weapons and ammo.

* * *

The four managed to get to the stairs but were stopped by the ghost of Ronald, an old acquaintance of the Winchester brothers. He went on and on about how Dean was supposed to help him. Artimes, still flustered by the blonde's earlier actions, raised her gun and shot Ronald. His ghost dissipated into nothingness.

"Less talking, more shooting." The red head chastised heading up the stairs.

The brothers glanced at each other, kind of impressed by her actions. They glanced at Bobby who shook his head at them.

"You heard her, idjits." He stated following after the ginger haired woman.

The group finally made it to the living room. Sam grabbed one of the bags of rock salt Artimes had left at the corner of the desk and started making a circle. Dean took care of lighting the fire while Artimes and Bobby pulled out a metal bowl and sorted through the ingredients. The older hunter took care of drawing the sigil they needed for the counter spell. Ghosts appeared at random all throughout the room and the boys picked them off one by one. Ronald appeared in front of Dean and those two had a brief conversation while the blonde was reloading his gun.

Bobby finally started the Latin incantation for the counter spell. The windows blew open and a wind filled the room. Artimes watched in horror as the circle of salt was blown away and with it, their protection from the vengeful heart ripping spirits. She grabbed a larger shotgun, capable of holding several rounds rather than just two and took up position in front of the desk and in between the two boys.

The trio fired round after round, trying to keep the ghosts at bay as Bobby continued the spell. Dean ran out of ammo, tried firing a different gun which was also out of ammo, then grabbed an iron rod and swung at Henricksen when he appeared. Meg popped in and pushed Sam against the wall, trapping him there with a desk. The younger Winchester tried to move it but without success.

"Sam!" Both Artimes and Dean yelled.

"Cover Bobby!" The brunette ordered trying to move the desk again.

While Artimes was distracted, Henricksen reappeared in front of her. He picked her up, causing her to scream and drop the shotgun. It clattered to the floor as the ghost threw her into the wall behind Bobby.

"Artz!" The brothers shouted as she fell and hit the fireplace mantle then the floor.

The red head managed to pull herself off of the floor, her back and side throbbing from the rough landing. Her eyes zeroed in on the space behind the older hunter. There stood Meg, poised to shove her hand into his chest and rip out his heart.

"Bobby!" The ginger called out in alarm as she jumped in between the older man and the vengeful spirit of the former demon.

Meg plunged her hand into the ginger's chest, making her cry out in immense pain. She could feel it…Meg was grasping her heart, making it beat irregularly.

"Why help them? Why give up everything for people who don't even care about you. They would sooner kill you then protect you." Meg taunted squeezing her heart slightly.

Artimes whimpered in pain, tears beginning to flow down her face.

"Let her go, Meg!" Dean shouted angrily.

He tried to get to the red head but he couldn't go two steps without either Henricksen or Ronald getting in his face.

"Meg, don't hurt her!" Sam yelled trying to free himself from the desk again.

His attention was redirected to in front of him when the two little girls appeared on the desk and started inching towards him.

"Would you really sacrifice it all for them? They're not your family. They're not your blood. You owe them nothing. Abandon them and run away with your life." Meg offered squeezing her heart at the end of each sentence, making her cry out in pain each time.

"Just because they're not my blood, doesn't mean they're not family. I will never abandon the people I love. I won't ever turn my back on the Winchesters. Never." Artimes ground out, glaring at the former demon.

"Then die for your precious family. Die for the Winchesters." Meg stated evilly, squeezing the ginger's heart tightly and pulling it.

Artimes let out a high pitched scream that made the hearts of the hunters stop for a moment. Meg pushed the red head into Bobby, pinning him to the desk and forcing him to drop the bowl.

"Dean!" Bobby started as the blonde caught the bowl, "Fireplace!"

The elder Winchester knelt down and threw the contents of the bowl into the fireplace, the flames turning a brilliant blue for a few seconds. All the ghosts vanished instantly and Artimes crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

"Artz!" Both brothers called out in a panic.

Dean rushed over to the red head and pulled her into his arms. Sam managed to finally free himself from the desk and knelt down in front of the pair. Bobby stood to the side, looking on in worry and fear. Artimes's skin was pale white and was extremely cool to the touch. Her eyes were closed and it didn't look like she was breathing. The brunette picked up her left wrist, trying to find a pulse.

"Artz, come on. The ghosts are gone. It's time to wake up. Artz…Artz, please." Dean begged brushing her hair out of her face.

There was no outward signs of life and the brothers were becoming more and more distressed. They looked at each other with expressions caught between hope, fear, and the beginnings of loss.

"There's no pulse, Dean. She's gone." Sam whispered his voice filled with grief.

Dean refused to believe that. He couldn't allow this cheeky red head to breeze into his life like she owned it, only for her to disappear now.

"No, no! Artz, come on! Wake up! Wake up now! I've lost a lot of people and I'm not going to lose you too. So don't you dare give up! You hear me?! Get your ass back here, you crazy woman!" He pleaded rocking slightly as a few tears began to escape his eyes, "We haven't even had our pie yet, remember?"

Sam watched his brother slowly begin to crumble over a woman he barely knew, yet he, himself, was feeling such a profound sense of loss…like he had just lost something incredibly important and vital to his existence. His eyes widened slightly as his breath caught in his throat. He felt it…there was a faint pulsing under his fingers. Artimes gasped, shuddering in Dean's arms. All three hunters slowly began to relax.

"Artz? Artz, you okay?" Dean asked caressing her cheek.

She opened her eyes slowly, their sapphire depths slightly glazed over. She smiled softly at the elder Winchester.

"I'm hungry. I want pie." She said quietly.

The brothers both started laughing, smiles spreading across their face and relief and happiness shining in their eyes.

"The spell?" She asked not bothering to move from Dean's arms.

"It worked. Just like you said it would." Sam answered holding her left hand with both of his.

"Bobby?" She asked softly.

The older man knelt down and placed his hand on the woman's left shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Still kicking, little sapphire." He answered his voice filled with relief.

She smiled slightly at the nickname and allowed herself to relax into Dean's embrace. Wasn't every day a girl could lay in the arms of an incredibly gorgeous guy. She sighed inwardly in contentment. They had stopped the Witnesses and put them to rest. Less than a day into this life and she already needed a vacation.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 3: Spirit Roulette is complete! Totally epic right?! Oh God, I loved this chapter! It was actually a lot of fun to do, even the emotional bits. *purrs in delight* Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 4: God's Chosen! Stay tuned because we are going to get a really cute Castiel moment in the next chapter! *giggles*


	4. Chapter 4: God's Chosen

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Chosen! Sorry for not updating the last few days, but I kind of had to write it first. Now I've gotten written all the way through Monster Movie and have started work on the first OC arc, so I am now capable of typing up a few chapters for you. Thanks to everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed.

**SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT!:** **grapejuice101 for providing the excellent plot twist for Monster Movie!**

Brief Recap: Artimes and the hunters discussed the counter spell to send the Witnesses back. They ventured forth from the ghost proof panic room and started playing spirit roulette to try and cover Bobby while he was casting the spell. Things turned dicey when Meg got a hold of Artimes's heart and well, pretty much killed her. After the ghosts were gone and the spell was complete, somehow Artimes came back to life though she really wasn't dead long to begin with. The brothers were relieved that she's back and so was Bobby.

Looking Forward: Castiel pays a visit to Dean and the elder Winchester becomes pretty hostile when he believes the trench coat wearing angel is going to hurt Artimes. A bit more talking, seriously there is a lot of talking in this chapter. Castiel finally pays a visit to Artimes and discovers that her heart was severely damaged by Meg and was causing her horrific pain. He heals her and reveals that she is what is called a 'Chosen' and thus more talking ensues. Lots of talking. *grins*

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Four: God's Chosen

* * *

Castiel appeared in the kitchen, standing next to the sink. He was waiting for Dean to wake up, but he felt a tug to be somewhere else. It was not his superiors calling for him, but something else entirely. He was hard pressed not to follow the pull and disregard his orders to tell Dean about Lilith and the seals. The blonde finally stirred and first looked over at his brother, sleeping on the couch, and then at the trench coat wearing angel. He got up quickly but quietly and joined Castiel in the kitchen.

"Excellent job with the Witnesses." The angel complimented.

"You were hip to all this?" Dean asked more than a little agitated.

He didn't really want to tell the elder Winchester, but he wouldn't lie to him either.

"I was…uh…made aware." Castiel answered hoping that would calm the blonde.

"Well, thanks a lot for the angelic assistance. You know, Artz almost got her heart ripped out of her chest." Dean informed highly pissed.

Artz? He must have been referring to the woman, Artimes Blaine, who had recently been placed in Bobby Singer's care. He didn't understand her significance to all this but when the leader of the Celestial Guard, Benedict Strathem, asked him to keep an eye on her, he did not refuse the archangel's request.

"But she didn't." The blue eyed angel replied.

Dean had to stop himself from tackling the dark haired angel and beating the crap out of him.

"I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos…you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks." The elder Winchester snapped hotly.

Castiel understood why Dean was so angry. By disregarding the safety and welfare of those close to him, one could easily enrage the blonde to the point of violence, but he needed make something very clear to Dean. Although he was a guardian…a shepherd at times to humanity, he was a soldier that followed orders whether he liked it or not. He became whatever heaven needed him to be, despite his personal preference.

"Read the Bible. Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier." The angel replied.

"Yeah? Then, why didn't you fight?" Dean demanded.

He didn't fight because his superiors had ordered him not to. He would have been there to help them and to keep his promise to Benedict. His anger was raging at Dean's implied insult of being a coward but he kept it in check.

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns." The angel replied forcing his anger to subside.

"Concerns? This wouldn't have anything to do with Lilith and the sixty six seals to 'The Cage', now would it?" Dean asked.

Castiel was genuinely surprised. How had the elder Winchester come by such knowledge? What means had he used to attain it? How would the consequences of their attainment effect his charge?

"You know about that?" The angel asked.

"Yeah, Artz told us all about it. Lilith is trying to bring on the apocalypse, set Lucifer free, and the Witnesses were the start of it." Dean answered kind of smug that he had shocked an angel.

How could Artimes possess such knowledge of things that had not yet happen? He would have to speak with her. He had been meaning to do so in the first place, but his superiors prevented him from meeting her sooner. They had kept him busy, so busy that he had to go down to Hell to save Dean. His first meeting with his charge was long overdue and he had the time now to rectify that.

"Seventeen other hunters are dead." Castiel informed getting back on topic.

"Artz said it was twenty. Looks like she saved some people after all. She said Lilith picked victims that the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us, but what I want to know is why the ghosts that attacked us seemed so dead set to get Artimes away from us? They were trying there damnedest to get her to run away and turn her back on us." Dean countered.

Why would the spirits wish for Artimes to abandon the Winchesters? What purpose did the crimson haired woman play in the destinies of the Winchester brothers? The elder Winchester was only raising more and more questions about his charge and he needed answers. Castiel was curious about not only the ghosts' fixation on Artimes but Dean's as well. He wondered how far that fixation went.

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor, but I will have to investigate this Artimes of yours. With the amount of knowledge she has given, she is highly dangerous and may need to be dealt with." Castiel replied allowing his threat to hang in the air.

He had no intention of harming his charge, but the blonde didn't know that and reacted accordingly.

"Don't even think about hurting her, you winged son of a bitch. She's just a girl from a parallel world, who has no idea how she got here. She's just wants to help us, that's all." Dean defended immediately becoming hostile.

Interesting. The elder Winchester has taken up the mantle of protector for Artimes. He had mentioned that she had been injured, perhaps that injury had frightened him into being more defensive of the ginger. Understanding humans was difficult at times, but he was getting better. He was, however, surprised by the information about his charge being from a parallel world. Benedict had neglected to mention that particular fact and he wondered why.

"Passage between parallel dimensions is extremely difficult and not many would have the knowledge to do it." Castiel informed.

He knew Balthazar could do it and possibly the archangels if absolutely necessary, but there wasn't much of a need to travel to parallel planes.

"Can demons do it?" Dean asked.

"No and the only angels with that knowledge are either in seclusion or have no use for parallel travel. I will speak to Artimes and find out more. I give you my word that she will not be harmed in any way, but you should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in." Castiel answered giving the blonde a look that meant he was deadly serious.

With a fluttering of wings, the trench coat wearing angel vanished, leaving Dean alone in the kitchen to think.

0o0o0

Artimes was currently outside, laying on the hood of the Impala, and gazing up at the stars. She was trying desperately to forget the pain that ached in her chest. Her right hand clutched the fabric of her shirt, right above her heart. She was definitely in some serious pain and she hadn't bothered to tell the others about it. She had just played it off, knowing there was nothing they could do. She couldn't go to a hospital because she didn't exist in this world and she was pretty sure that Meg had severely damaged her heart. Knowing her luck, she was in need of a heart transplant.

In her musings, she had given serious consideration to praying to Castiel, but she was so early in the time line that she was almost certain that he wouldn't help her. There was another reason she hadn't called on the dark haired angel. If the other angels were to discover her existence and more importantly her knowledge, there was no doubt in her mind that they would torture her for information and subsequently alter the entire chain of events.

Pain lanced through her chest and she turned onto her side, curling into a ball. Tears fell as the pain intensified substantially. It felt like she was having a major heart attack. She whimpered in pain as she silently prayed to God for the pain to go away. She cried out slightly and nearly rolled off the side of the car, but was caught by someone. She felt two fingers press against her forehead and a strange yet somehow familiar warmth flowed through her body. It centered around her damaged heart, easing the pain away until it vanished entirely. The warmth receded and left her body, but she still felt all tingly inside.

She slowly uncurled herself, the arms supporting her never leaving. They always held her in place until she was ready to move. She opened her eyes and tilted her head upwards, seeing as how she was stilling laying on the Impala. Her mouth fell open slightly as her gaze fell upon her favorite blue eyed angel, Castiel.

"Castiel." She breathed as she slowly sat up, her eyes never leaving his.

She was further shocked when he brushed away the tears from her face, a soft and worried expression in his eyes. Why was he here? Why did he heal her? Had he talked with Dean yet?

"Dean told me you had been attacked by the Witnesses, but he did not tell me that you were so severely injured." He stated taking a step or two back, slightly confused by his own actions.

Well that answered one of her questions…okay, so maybe sort of all three of them.

"That's because he didn't know. They already lost me once and I barely came back. I didn't want to worry them. There was nothing that could be done to help me." She replied still trying to sort out her head.

Castiel's presence confused her. Why would he be talking to her at all? Why did he care that she was injured?

"Why did you not pray to me? As one of the Chosen, it is my duty to help you." The angel stated angrily, not happy that she hadn't summoned him immediately.

She stared at him in confusion. Chosen?

"Wait, what? What's a Chosen?" She asked confusion etched deeply on her face.

She had never heard of a 'Chosen' before, especially in regards to anything angelic or Enochian, and she knew quite a lot about Supernatural. This was not something she had seen, heard, or referenced to in the show, so what exactly was it and how did it apply to her?

"The Chosen are humans specifically selected by the Creator for special purposes. As a Chosen, no angel can harm you or they will face the wrath of the most powerful archangels of heaven." Castiel explained.

Archangels? What like Chuck and Raphael? She did not want a douche bag for a protector…unless it was Gabriel. She liked Gabriel and really wished he had had more screen time. Gabe was the funniest angel she had ever seen on Supernatural and certainly did know how to have a good time.

"I thought the archangels protected only the prophets?" She asked trying to understand.

Castiel looked impressed by her knowledge if the look on his face was any indication.

"The prophets are protected by the archangels, yes, but they are not as powerful as the ones that protect the Chosen. The Celestial Guard protect only the Chosen and will serve no other angel, not even Michael, the commander of the Heavenly Host." He explained.

Artimes swung her legs off the Impala and placed her hands on either side of her to balance herself. Her brain felt like it was overloading from the amount of information she was getting and she wasn't buying that even half it pertained to her.

"You said that it was your duty to help me." Artimes stated getting back to the original thing that had sparked her interest.

"Yes, if a Chosen requires assistance of any kind, all angels are duty bound to help them until they are dismissed by the Chosen." Castiel elaborated.

There was no possible way for her to be a Chosen. She just couldn't be. There was nothing special about her. She wasn't important…just an insignificant and expendable side character.

"How can I be a Chosen if I'm from a parallel world? How does one even become a Chosen? There has to be a specific criteria for this sort of thing, right?" She questioned trying to understand why God would choose her and why she was brought to this world in the first place.

"It doesn't matter what plane you come from, parallel or not. As for the specific criteria, a Chosen is selected for their heart and their soul. Commonly, they have great knowledge or great imagination, but it is not a requirement." The dark haired angel answered honestly.

That really didn't help her. It just made it feel like an even bigger mistake was made.

"So I was brought here for a reason. Do you have any idea what that reason might be?" She asked still trying to get answers despite believing herself unworthy of being a Chosen.

"I do not know for certain, but I believe that God brought you here to help the Winchesters. Dean mentioned that the Witnesses were trying to separate you from them, force you into abandoning them." He answered.

"I was really wondering about that because they were so insistent that I leave and turn my back on them. Why spare my life? Why talk to me in the first place? Why…" She started but stopped when she realized something, "Wait, hold on, how did you know I was a Chosen?"

"The Chosen radiate a particular kind of energy referred to as the Crest of Purity. It's very similar in nature to that of an angel's grace and all creatures, whether living or dead, can sense this energy in some way or form." He explained.

"Even humans?" She asked.

"Especially humans. Humans will perceive it more as a feeling of contentment or peace. Angels are drawn to it and become driven by the desire to protect and heal the Chosen. Demons will be partially purified, allowing some of their human emotions and desires to reassert themselves." He answered explaining it bit further before she could ask and she was going to.

She was silent for several moments, allowing the information to swirl around her head. This was a lot to take in and she just ended up with more questions and more doubts. Like what was her purpose? Why was she there? Was it really to help the Winchesters like Castiel had said? He said she was God's Chosen, but she couldn't really believe it. She honestly didn't think herself to be worthy of such a thing…hand-picked by God for some higher purpose? Don't make her laugh. She was just a nobody…thrust into a world she had only seen on TV and into a shit load of danger…yet why did it feel so right to be in this world in the first place?

She pushed all those thoughts aside as she looked over at her favorite angel. She wondered what Cas was really like and she wanted a chance to get know him.

"Will you stay with me for a while? I'd like the company." She offered smiling softly.

Castiel tilted his head slightly, a confused expression on his face. Did he not really comprehend her request? Oh God, that was so cute! She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing. Castiel was just so damn adorable at times. She gestured for him to sit with her on top of the Impala and he vanished with a fluttering of wings. He reappeared beside her and she let out a delighted laugh.

Eventually, she asked him about himself and her favorite blue eyed angel told her stories about heaven, the separate heavens he enjoyed visiting, and the many places he had visited while in service to the Lord. Artimes listened with rapt attention, completely in awe. She loved listening to the sound of his voice and his stories transported her to the most amazing and wonderful places. In return, she told him about her world, her family, her life before she had been brought to this world. She even revealed to him the source of her knowledge, the show, but did not tell him any spoilers which he was totally fine with though curious all the same.

She confided in him about her worries about how much she could share with the Winchester brothers about what was going to happen in the future. He advised her that it would be more prudent and less stressful for her to keep her focus on the events of the present and not become weighed down with thoughts of the distant future. That was easier said than done. She knew what was coming and it broke her heart at how much the boys would suffer.

She was pleasantly surprised that this world's version of Castiel was not nearly as rigid or inflexible as the show had depicted him to be in her world. He was a rather kind hearted angel. He cared deeply about humanity and was very curious about them, so many questions. He was also more of a healer…a shepherd than the warrior he was supposed to be. He was still a soldier of heaven and he followed his orders, but it didn't mean he had to like it.

After several hours of talking, Artimes drifted off to sleep, her head resting on Castiel's shoulder. The dark haired angel took notice and gingerly lifted the woman into his arms. He vanished with a fluttering of wings, only to reappear in her bedroom. He laid her gently on her bed and covered her with the bed covers. He brushed her hair out of her face, his eyes soft and warm. Not many humans would have asked the questions she had and he could see why God had chosen her. Her soul was so very pure and her heart was incredibly kind.

He growled slightly as he felt his superiors calling. He had no desire to report in and Artimes had yet to dismiss him. He was caught between his duty to her and his duty to heaven. His superiors called again and he nearly gave way to disobedience. He realized that if he stayed he would alert the others to the fact that there was a Chosen on Earth. Most angels didn't mind that the Chosen held a higher authority than even the archangels, but his superiors along with Michael and the other archangels hated that an imperfect being could have such command over them.

He had to leave, but he could give her some protection at least. He placed his hand on the center of her chest and she whimpered in pain. The pain subsided and she fell into a deeper sleep. He had just carved the Enochian language into her ribs, shielding her from the angels. He couldn't risk them uncovering what she was. She did not currently have the ability to summon the Celestial Guard or her personal protector, Benedict Strathem. She had to discover that on her own for it to work.

His superiors called him again and he knew he could not delay any longer. He cupped her face and she leaned into his touch, a soft smile on her lips. It was so strange that he was considering disobedience so easily. If she asked it of him, then he would rebel without hesitation. She wasn't a normal Chosen…she was far too powerful for that. He stood up and glanced back at her one last time. He wanted to stay, but he had to keep her safe and keep his word to Benedict. He could only hope that the Winchesters would be able to look after his charge in his stead. He vanished with a fluttering of wings, leaving the red head to sleep peacefully.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 4: God's Chosen is complete! We learned a lot about what is going on but there are still a lot of questions to be answered. So leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 5: A Volatile Morning! Stay tuned and be prepared for a semi sweet Dean moment!

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Quick Note: Strathem is pronounced Stra-tem, the 'h' is silent.


	5. Chapter 5: A Volatile Morning

Lady A: Hello and welcome back to Chosen! At the request of grapejuice101, who left an absolutely stellar review, I will be posting a second chapter today. Hope this is ASAP enough for you! *grins cheekily* Much love and eternal gratitude to all those who faved, followed, and most importantly _reviewed_ Chosen! Now enough of me blabbing the day away.

Brief Recap: Castiel paid a visit to Dean and they had a nice little chit chat which included all the perks; name calling, cursing, and threats. Our favorite dark haired angel then paid a visit to our resident Supernatural expert, Artimes, who was having some heart problems. He healed her and they had a discussion of their own which turned out to be rather lengthy because they were apparently both asking questions. It was quite the story time. Shortly before leaving to check in with his superiors, Castiel engraved Enochian protection symbols into the ginger's ribs, shielding her from the other angels.

Looking Forward: The morning turns into a family affair with the Winchesters including breakfast, some mothering, and a slight altercation between Artimes and Bobby. The brothers invite the ginger to come with them and she refuses. By the end of it all, Artimes decides to tag along with the Winchesters.

Now on with the show!

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Chapter Five: A Volatile Morning

* * *

Artimes awoke early, feeling rather refreshed and energized. It took her a few moments to comprehend that she was not laying on the hard surface of the Impala, but actually in her room and very comfortably relaxing in her bed. She was even tucked in. She had a vague recollection of someone cupping her face. She sat up quickly, a strange smile on her face. She nearly laughed out loud when she realized that favorite angel had put her to bed last night. She nearly melted at the cuteness of the entire situation. Who knew Cas could be so sweet?

She threw back the covers and got up. She raised her arms above her head and stretched a bit. She let out a sigh of contentment as her back popped into place. She lowered her hands and grabbed some clothes from her duffel bag, sitting on her desk. She raced into the adjoining bathroom and had a nice long shower. She got out and dried off before changing into her attire for the day; blue jeans, dark red shirt, black smooth leather jacket, and her black converse.

She frowned when she started packing her things away into her duffel. Pushed to the side was something she hadn't expected to find. She hadn't noticed it early because she was in such a hurry for a shower, but in her duffel were twin angel blades. There was a piece paper attached to them by a gold string. She pulled out the paper and read it.

_For your protection._

_Castiel_

She really wanted to melt then. Maybe being a Chosen wasn't so bad, especially with Cas treating her so nicely. Perhaps she was able to form sort of friendship with him last night. She smiled and shook her head. She finished packing everything away, grabbing her shoulder bag and tossing it on before rushing down the stairs. She saw that the boys were still asleep; Sam on the couch and Dean on the floor. Poor guys must have been exhausted by everything that happened with the Witnesses.

She went to the fridge in the kitchen and pushed the beer aside, reaching for the bacon and eggs she had bought herself. Bobby couldn't remember to eat three times a day so she had taken over the cooking in the house to make certain he actually ate like a human being. He was such a stubborn old man and he constantly griped about how much she cooked and how much she cleaned up the house, saying he can't find anything where he left it.

She pulled out the frying pan from the stove then reached above her head and grabbed some plates. She went over to the bread box and pulled out the loaf of wheat bread. She personally liked white bread herself but Bobby needed something just a tad more nutritional. She reached back into the fridge, searching for the butter. She found it stuffed in the back behind an expired jar of dill pickles. She made a sour face when she opened the jar, her nose scrunching up in disgust. She tossed the jar quietly into the trash can and made a mental note to clean out the fridge with bleach water later.

She buttered the bread before pulling out a second frying pan. She turned two burners on and proceeded to fry the bread and bacon. She smiled slightly, remembering how her grandmother loved toast when it was fried and how her mother said that eggs always tasted better if you cooked them after bacon or sausage. Her eyes teared up a bit while she was thinking of home, but she shoved aside her brief bout of home sickness and turned her attention back to the food. She would never see her family again, but now she had a new family to protect and they needed her in the here and now.

"Something smells incredibly good." Dean commented his words slightly slurred from just waking up.

"Smells fantastic." Sam concurred.

She turned towards them and smiled brightly. Both boys looked they had just rolled out of bed, their clothes all messed up and bunched up.

"That would be breakfast, sweeties. Now you and Sam get washed up and it will be done by the time you get back. Now off you pop." She ordered in a very motherly like tone.

The Winchesters stared at her for a moment, taken off guard, but after a few seconds, they shuffled out of the room to do as she asked. She turned back to the food, removing the fried toast from the frying pan and draining the bacon. She then proceeded to fry up the eggs, careful not to let them cook too long and kept the yellow runny and the white done.

She finished making breakfast, turned off the stove, and walked over to a cabinet. She pulled out four glasses and set them on the table. She walked back over to the fridge and pushed the beer to the other side of the fridge. What was with Bobby and putting everything she needed in the back. Beer and alcohol were not the beginning and end of everything. That man drove her crazy sometimes. She pulled out the plastic jug of orange juice and filled up the four glasses, placing one at each dining area. She put the leftover food back in their proper places before setting the food on the table.

The boys walked back in freshly washed and in different clothes. They sat down at the table and Sam drank some of his OJ. Dean reached for a piece of toast but Artimes smacked his hand with the spatula. He pouted at her and she gave him a stern look that told him he had to wait. The ginger glanced at her watch and growled slightly in annoyance.

"Bobby Singer, get your ass down here now! Breakfast is ready!" She yelled startling the boys with her sudden exclamation and with how authoritative her voice was.

They both looked towards the stairs, hearing something scrambling down the steps. Bobby appeared a few seconds later, looking like death warmed over. The ginger glared at him as he tried to sit down and he redirected himself to the kitchen sink. He washed his hands and dried them before taking his seat at the table with a growled out 'Good Morning'. The boys looked at each other, not quite sure what to make of the whole thing. They looked over at Bobby then at Artimes, who was smiling brightly at them again. She served them breakfast, asking them how they slept and did they have pleasant dreams.

The ginger took her seat and started eating herself.

"Oh God, this is so good." Dean commented mouth full of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Dean. It's bad manners." The red head scolded looking at him with a disapproving stare.

He shrunk back a bit from the slightly intimidating woman. Ask him later if he was scared of her and he would deny the whole damn thing. He went back to eating his food and glaring at his brother, who was trying not to laugh. Breakfast was finished pretty quickly and there was a chorus of gratitude in the form of pleased grunts and contented sighs. Artimes chuckled softly and stood up, starting to clear the table of dishes.

"So why the sudden urge to cook us breakfast, Artz?" Sam asked as she ran water for the wash bowl.

"What do you mean 'sudden'? She does this every morning. Does lunch and dinner too. Won't let me miss a meal either." Bobby piped up, perusing the paper.

"No way." Dean retorted shocked.

"Girl's one hell of cook, idjit. I'm not about to complain about that." The older hunter replied polishing off his OJ.

The blonde glanced at his brother before looking over at Artimes, who was plugging away at the dishes. Dean rose from his chair and offered to help her, to which she accepted with a smile on her face. The younger Winchester was surprised by his brother's actions, to say the least. He had never seen his elder sibling doing something so _homely_ before. The brunette continued to watch how the duo interacted. He could see how at ease his brother was around the ginger…like they had known each others for years instead of two days. It was very strange how she just clicked into their life.

Bobby finally finished his paper and stood up.

"I'm heading out to the yard." He stated moving towards the door.

"No strenuous activity for thirty minutes after you eat and don't make me come out there to stop you from doing something you shouldn't be doing!" Artimes called after him.

"Yeah, yeah. Quit your nagging, woman." Bobby replied.

"I'll stop nagging when you start listening." Artimes mumbled causing Dean to laugh.

Sam stood up and followed after the older hunter, wanting to ask him a few things about the mysterious red head. He found Bobby under the hood of his car, performing some maintenance.

"Bobby, what do you know about Artimes?" He asked going with the direct approach.

Sam had been toying with the idea since last night about inviting the red head to come with him and Dean, but he wanted to know more about her before he broached the subject with his older brother.

The older hunter glanced up at him for a moment before sighing. He pulled out a cloth rag and wiped his hands on it.

"Twenty five years old, bit of a loner though not by choice, kind, forgiving, sees the best in people even if they don't see it in themselves. She has an older brother named Trinity, but they hadn't spoken in the last six years. Mother's a pharmacy tech, grandmother's retired and real big into church, great grandmother died a couple of years ago. For the most part, her family treated her like shit, like she was nothing. Only friend she had was Scott and he upped and left her for some chick in Arizona. She loves movies and TV shows obviously. Has a thing for eighties music and a strange fascination with the forties with their big band music. If I remember correctly, Glenn Miller is her favorite. And books; she loves reading them but damn, if she ain't trying to write her own. Damn good writer, that one. Anything else?" Bobby answered going back to working on his car.

"Damn, Bobby. Just how much time did you spend with her?" Sam asked stunned.

"Not that much. Went out on hunts a lot or playing phones. I learned all that in under ten minutes after I asked her about herself. She's like an open book. Just have to ask the right questions and she won't stop talking for nothing." He replied checking the oil level in his vehicle.

"Seriously? Under ten minutes?" The brunette asked astonished and a little disbelieving.

"Ask her, Sam. There's not much she won't tell you about herself. She's just hesitant with the future stuff because she doesn't know what she can say and what she can't say." Bobby answered honestly, "She's a good kid with a heart like no other. She'll do right by you and Dean, but for God's sake, make certain you two idjits keep your tempers in check."

"Thanks, Bobby." Sam replied leaving the older hunter to his work.

He knew what he wanted to do now.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the kitchen, Artimes and Dean were having a conversation all their own.

"You alright? I mean, you did almost get your heart ripped out of your chest and all. You seemed a little off yesterday." He asked concerned.

She paused in her work. She should probably tell the elder Winchester what had happened last night, but he was going to be angry at her. She sighed heavily.

"I have a confession to make." She started garnering his attention instantly, "Cas paid me a visit last night and he healed the damage Meg had done to my heart which was pretty bad because I felt like I was having a heart attack almost the whole time." She answered not looking at him.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" He asked angrily.

She flinched and the blonde forced his anger down.

"We could have helped." He continued in a softer tone.

"There was nothing you could have done, Dean. I don't exist here. That means no documentation of birth or citizenship which means I can't go to a hospital. Besides, this is the world of Supernatural, a world of monsters and mayhem. I knew there was a very good chance of me getting killed at any point in time." She answered continuing her work.

Dean stopped her and forced her to face him. He cupped her face and forced her to look at him.

"I won't let that happen, you understand? I'll protect you, I promise." Dean vowed brushing her cheeks with his thumbs.

She smiled softly at him, a new level of appreciation and respect for the elder Winchester. She removed his hands and went back to work.

"Neither will Cas. He was rather pissed off that I hadn't prayed to him straight away. According to him, I'm something called a 'Chosen', a human hand-picked by God for some special purpose. He seems to think that I was brought to this world to help you and Sam." She stated picking up the next plate.

"That definitely would explain the ghosts. They didn't want you helping us at all." He replied.

She hummed her agreement and the pair fell into silence for several moments. Dean glanced at the red head, a question burning in his mind. He had come up with an idea after his talk with the angelic douche bag that was Cas and he needed to ask her about it sooner or later.

"When Sam and I leave, I want you to come with us." He requested.

She nearly dropped the plate in her hands, her face one of surprise and shock.

"That's a bad idea. I'm not getting stuck in between you and Sam when you two start fighting. I know your secrets and Sam's and I will not be blamed for keeping things from either of you. The answer is no." She refused adamantly.

Sam reentered the kitchen and leaned against the table.

"That won't happen. We won't blame you for anything." Sam piped up, drawing both of their attentions, "Come with us…please."

She stared at the brunette with an incredulous look on her face.

"You two are nine kinds of crazy today. You're not asking for trouble, you're demanding it. Oh just bring along the girl who happens to know key points in your future. Real swell idea, idjits." She retorted moving around Dean.

She grabbed the dish towel from its place violently and started drying dishes.

"Look, I just want a chance to get to know you like Bobby has. Please." Sam requested.

She was not prepared to turn down both brothers at the same time. Dean, she could handle. She could handle Sam too, but both together was like trying to stop the Spanish Inquisition.

"Ask me anything." She countered putting the dishes away.

"Okay, what's your favorite character from the 'Supernatural' show?" The brunette asked going with the first question that popped into his mind.

"That's your first question? Really?" She replied shaking her head.

"Sorry, it's what came to mind." Sam apologized.

"It's fine. It's a tie between Dean and Castiel. No offense, Sam." She answered honestly.

She went back to the sink and started washing the frying pans.

"You like that dick?" The elder Winchester asked slightly insulted.

She smiled at him, her eyes dancing with mischief and humor.

"Not jealous, are you?" She asked.

"No!" Dean answered hastily.

"Get to know Cas and you'll understand why he is one of my top favorite characters and Sam, don't ask where you rate on that list. You won't like the answer." She continued pushing the blonde over so she could rinse the frying pans.

"Favorite song?" Th elder Winchester cut in, seeing as how his brother was about to ask what she meant by her earlier comment.

"Ooh…tough one. I'd say it's a tie between Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode and Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood." She answered grabbing a paper towel and drying the inside of the pans.

"Eighties girl, huh?" The blonde commented smiling.

She sprayed the pans with cooking oil and greased them down.

"And proud to be, sir!" She replied grinning.

She placed the pans back in the stove and grabbed a wash rag to start cleaning up around the burners and the counter tops.

"Will you, please, come with us?" Sam asked again.

"No." She answered curtly, "It's too dangerous and not for me, but for you two. I simply know too much."

The brothers spent the next three hours trying to convince her that she should go with them. Bobby, having heard the dispute from outside, walked in and in none too polite terms, told her to stop freeloading off of him. She just stared at him in shock, completely blindsided by the fact that he had just basically thrown her out of the only home she had in this world. She left the kitchen without a word and rushed upstairs. She grabbed her duffel bag and flew out the back door.

"Good going, Bobby. We just wanted her to come with us, not be forced to." Sam stated more than a little angry with the older hunter.

"Artimes is, by far, the most stubborn woman I have ever met. Trust me, this was the _only_ way to get her to say yes." Bobby replied before walking into the living room and sitting at his desk.

"Damn it. Stay here. I'll go after her." Dean stated grabbing his coat and throwing it on.

He got into the Impala and revved the black beauty to life. He had snagged Sam's laptop on the way out and activated the GPS chip in the ginger's phone. She was already several miles down the road.

"Son of bitch. She moves fast." He commented throwing the car in drive.

He turned on to the main road and followed after her. By the time he caught up with her, she was already twelve miles down the road. He pulled off and parked the vehicle. He got out and chased after her.

"Artz!" He called grabbing her arm and turning him to face her.

He saw the tears streaming down her face and he pulled her into his arms. She cried into his chest and he whispered that Bobby didn't mean it…that he was just being an ass. He held her till she calmed down and managed to get her into the Impala without a struggle. Instead of taking her back right away, he took her into town. They sat at a small café and had some pie. After about an hour of just talking, Dean was able to convince her to go with them. When he took her back, she remained in the Impala, still too upset with the older hunter for treating her so harshly. Sam joined them and the trio set off for their next case, wherever that was.

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Lady A: Tada! Chapter 5: A Volatile Morning is complete! Sorry if I became too detailed with breakfast but I just wanted to put in some funny bits while she was cooking. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 6: Dark Secrets! Stay tuned because things are about to get very rough for our trio of hunters!


	6. Chapter 6: Dark Secrets

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Chosen! So sorry for not updating sooner, but in my defense, I was busy writing ahead for this fic. I'm now up to Chapter Seventeen in the hand written version. Also, if you have any ideas or twists for the episode Yellow Fever, the one where Dean screams like a girl and has been infected with a ghost illness that slowly makes him afraid of almost everything, then please leave a review for this chapter with your ideas along with your thoughts about this chapter! Big thanks to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed this story thus far! Much love to you all!

Brief Recap: Breakfast turned into a family affair and everything was going great until the brothers decided to invite Artimes to come with them. She adamantly refused for over three hours until Bobby, being an insensitive jerk, told her to stop freeloading off of him. Dean managed to find her and calm her down, thus leading to her eventual consent to joining the Winchesters.

Looking Forward: The brothers check in to a hotel for the night and while Artimes and Dean are sleeping, Sam sneaks out. Artimes woke up just as he was leaving and tails after him. The elder Winchester gets a surprise visit from Castiel, who shoots him through time and he meets his parents before they had gotten married. After Castiel returns Dean to the present, Artimes returns to the room. The elder Winchester and the ginger haired woman go in search of Sam and discover him using his psychic powers. After some harsh words on both sides minus the red head, they get a case that sends them to Carthage, Missouri.

Now on with the show!

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Chapter Six: Dark Secrets

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The elder Winchester drove the Impala into the parking lot of a rundown hotel. Sam exited the car quietly and headed towards the office to book them in for the night. Dean had the incredibly delicate job of handling the out cold red head. He lifted her carefully from the back seat and into his arms. The ginger haired woman was not used to long periods of travel in a vehicle and had fallen asleep a few hours ago. He finally managed to remove her from the car without waking her and closed the door as quietly as he could.

The younger Winchester returned with their room keys and signaled his brother to follow him. They found their room and the brunette opened the door, allowing the blonde to carry Artimes inside. As gently as he could, Dean laid the ginger on the bed. He shrugged out of his jacket and covered her with it, tucking it around her to keep her warm. He glanced tiredly at his brother who had already claimed the other bed. He sighed quietly and moved to the other side of the ginger's bed. He laid down next to her and no sooner had his head touched the pillow, he was out like a light.

* * *

Artimes awoke when she heard a door being clicked shut. She lifted her head and noticed that the younger Winchester was missing and that Dean was sharing a bed with her. She sat up slowly, the object covering her, falling into her lap. She glanced down and her eyes softened when they landed on the blonde's jacket. She picked up the jacket and stood as quietly as she could. She turned around and placed Dean's jacket over him, much in the same way he had done for her before turning and leaving the room.

She rubbed her arms a bit, the light jacket she had on not quite protecting her from the night's chilly air. She glanced around a bit as she walked, trying to locate the younger Winchester. She finally found him and ducked behind a nearby pillar as a car drove up. She peeked around the side and watched as the brunette climbed into the passenger seat. The ginger glared venom soaked daggers at the dark haired woman that was behind the wheel. It was Ruby, the lying black eyed bitch that was leading Sam down the path of darkness.

She hid behind the pillar again to avoid being seen by the occupants of the car as they drove past. She leaned her back against the pillar, anger and disappointment dancing in her eyes.

"Damn it, Sammy. Why didn't you listen to me? Can't you see that she's using you?" She mumbled furious with herself that she hadn't been able to alter this event at all.

She had hoped that by confronting him directly about the dark haired demon that it might shake him loose or at least give him some perspective. Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. She had failed…again. She needed to try harder, but there wasn't a manual for this sort of thing and she was literally winging the whole damn thing.

She needed to find some way of saving Sam from his addiction to demon blood, but she honestly had no idea how to go about that without driving a wedge the size of Texas between the younger Winchester and herself. She needed to help him and her brain was literally going in circles. Her mind became overwhelmed with the knowledge of what was to come; all the problems, all the lies, the mistrust, the brothers separating. Was there nothing she could do to stop it? No! She refused to believe that. There had to be some way of helping them! There just had to be.

She wracked her mind for several minutes, trying to coming up with a solution, but she kept running into the same problem every time…loyalty. Sam was loyal to Ruby because of everything she had done for him and now that loyalty was far too strong. She highly doubted that she could break it alone. Then there was the issue of the ginger's loyalty to the elder Winchester. Out of the two brothers, Artimes trusted Dean the most and would follow him anywhere. To put it simply, she was stuck between a very large boulder and brick wall.

She groaned in exasperation as her body shivered uncontrollably. She was freezing her butt off and she was kind of wishing she had kept Dean's jacket. She pushed off the pillar and meandered back towards the room, fully intent on raising her body temperature. As she reached the door, she paused hearing voices. Oh crap! She had forgotten that Dean had gone to the past and discovered his mother's deal with the yellow eyed demon, Azazel. She reached into her pocket and did a silent victory dance when she found a room key in her pocket. It was probably the younger Winchester who had put it there considering she had locked herself out of the last hotel room they had stayed at by accident.

"We know what Azazel did to your brother. What we don't know is why…what his end game is. He went to great lengths to cover that up." Castiel stated as she quietly slipped into the room, unnoticed by the two males.

"Where's Sam?" Dean demanded a slight edge to his voice.

"Four two five Waterman." Artimes answered drawing both of their attentions instantly.

The elder Winchester stared at her, his eyes swirling with countless emotions. He was really unstable at this point and he had every right to be after what he had just gone through. He grabbed his keys, shrugged on his jacket, and grabbed another jacket from his duffel, tossing it to the red head. She caught it as the dark haired angel spoke again.

"Your brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean, and we're not sure where it leads. So stop it…or we will." The blue eyed angel warned earning a dark glare from the ginger.

She loved Castiel, really she did, but there were times when she wanted to wring his neck. The dark haired angel vanished with a fluttering of wings, leaving Artimes and Dean alone. The two didn't speak for several moments. Artimes was certain that the blonde was deciding whether or not to be angry at her.

"I'm not gonna like what I find at four two five Waterman, am I?" Dean asked.

She felt tears prick at her eyes and she lowered her head. She didn't really know what to say to him. She had warned him that she knew their individual secrets and that she wouldn't reveal them. By her own word, she would hold true to her honor even if they hated her for it.

"No, you won't and I don't know how to stop it. I'm sorry." She answered trying to keep her voice level and failing miserably.

The elder Winchester's shoulders slouched and he sighed heavily. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. Her arms wrapped around him instinctively, holding him tightly.

"None of this is your fault, okay? Remember that. You warned me ahead of time that you knew our secrets and that you wouldn't reveal them unless we asked you to. You did the only thing you could do and kept your word. You stayed true to your honor and that's one of the reasons why I like you. So remember that no matter what I find out, I am not angry with you, okay?" He comforted rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

She nodded into his chest, still too afraid to look at him. He pulled back and made her look at him. He smiled at her reassuringly and she smiled weakly in return. He helped her into his spare jacket and rubbed her arms a bit.

"Come on. Let's find out what's got the angels all bent." He continued brushing away the tears that had escaped her eyes.

"Okay." She replied softly.

The two left the hotel room and got into the Impala. Dean revved the engine to life and drove out of the parking lot. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Artimes couldn't take it any longer.

"I know Cas sent you back. Do you want to talk about it?" She asked keeping her eyes fixed on the road.

He didn't respond for a moment, no doubt collecting his thoughts.

"I couldn't change anything." He answered gruffly, his emotions still raging a bit.

"Time can be rewritten, Dean. It just doesn't get rewritten like we want it to, because it would change your own personal timeline, but your dad would have never bought the Impala if you hadn't been there. The deal your mother made allowed her to have the peaceful and normal she had always wanted but could never have for ten years. Some things would not have happened if you hadn't gone and things could have turned out much, much worse than they did." She replied feeling pretty stupid about her response.

She honestly didn't know how to comfort him but she had to try.

"He was going to buy a minivan. I had to stop that from happening. Could you imagine having to drive that thing in this day and age?" He complained focusing on his father's car choice to anchor himself emotionally.

Artimes scrunched up her nose at the prospect of a minivan. That would so not work for the series.

"Ew, no. I fell in love with the Impala the moment I saw it, especially with ACDC's Back in Black playing in the background as it barreled down the highway. God, so totally epic. On that day, it became my dream car." She replied with a dreamy look on her face.

Dean smiled slightly, his emotions beginning to calm. He was glad that the ginger was with him. He felt a lot more grounded and in control than when he had returned. Things didn't seem so bad with the red head around. He knew that she was stuck in the middle of him and his brother and all their emotional shit, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her behind at Bobby's. He was loathed to admit, especially to himself, but a part of him needed the ginger haired woman.

* * *

The pair were currently standing outside four two five Waterman, where Sam was apparently interrogating a demon for Lilith's location. The younger Winchester started calling on his psychic powers and Artimes started trembling. She backed up a few steps and would have continued her retreat if Dean hadn't grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side. She kept trying to pull away the longer the brunette used his powers. He looked down at her and saw that her eyes were wide with terror and her skin was extremely pale. He pulled her completely to his side and wrapped his arm around her waist and she turned into him, burying her face into his chest.

"Wrong. It's wrong. It's so wrong. I can feel it, Dean. Please make it stop…please, please…make it stop." She whispered her voice barely audible and her tone pleading.

Up until that point, Dean had only been mildly angry about his brother using his powers, but scaring Artimes out her mind was a line his brother should never have crossed. He went beyond anger and jumped right into fury. His brother's psychic powers were driving the ginger to the point of hysteria. She was so terrified that she was practically trying to shove him away from the building, her entire body shaking in fear. He managed to hold on to her until Sam had fully exorcised the demon. As the effect of the brunette's powers subsided, the red head slowly calmed down. She mumbled out an apology for freaking out so badly and he just placed a gentle kiss to her head in response.

The elder Winchester guided Artimes around the side of the building. He led her through the door, making the younger Winchester stop in his tracks. The brunette was stunned to see them there and he was rendered speechless, unable to form words for a moment.

"So…anything you wanna tell me, Sam?" Dean inquired barely containing his rage.

Sam glanced at the ginger haired woman. She shook her head slightly, indicating that his elder brother did not learn his secret from her. Ruby stood behind Sam as the blonde walked towards the younger Winchester. The brunette finally found his voice and raised his hands slightly in placating manner.

"Dean, hold on, okay? Just let me…" Sam started but was cut off by his older brother.

"You gonna say 'let me explain'? You're gonna explain this? Like how you just scared Artz to within an inch of her sanity? Why don't you start with who she is and what the hell is she doing here?" Dean demanded gesturing to the dark haired demon.

Artimes slunk back a bit from the amount of fury rolling off the elder Winchester. Was it her or did he seem a lot more pissed off than he had in the show?

"It's good to see you again, Dean." The female demon commented smiling slightly at the blonde.

"Ruby?" Dean asked.

The dark haired demon's smile widened a bit. The red head was hard pressed not to scratch that bitch's eyes out. She hated what she was doing to Sam and it would make her feel a whole lot better if she could beat the crap out of her, but she restrained herself. She was more worried about the elder Winchester at the moment. The fury in his eyes unnerved and she wondered what had gotten him so pissed off.

"Is that Ruby?" The blonde asked his younger brother, seeking confirmation.

Sam didn't respond and looked over at Ruby again, who's smile was gradually fading. After a moment of silence, the elder Winchester grabbed a hold of the female demon and shoved her against the wall. Artimes got out of the way and quickly too. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the skirmish to be over. She jumped when she heard Dean storm out. She didn't reopen her eyes until she felt someone touch her arm. Her gaze focused on the younger Winchester, who seemed very worried and a little anxious.

"You okay?" He asked his tone soft and hesitant.

"To be honest…no. I felt…I felt your powers, Sammy. They were dark, so dark and they scared me so bad. I've always followed my instincts, Sam, but this was different. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to run away…run away and hide. If Dean hadn't held onto me, I would have ran away." She answered honestly, her tone quivering from her lingering fear.

The younger Winchester stared at her a moment, his eyes shining with hurt and guilt. He looked down at his feet, unsure of what to say and his entire being radiating remorse.

"I'm sorry." He whispered taking a step back from her.

She grabbed his hand and stopped his retreat. He looked up at her, his eyes revealing his vulnerability.

"I may have been afraid of your powers, Sammy, but I'm not afraid of you and I never will be." She stated firmly, gripping his hand tighter and her eyes conveying her honesty.

He stared at her in her confusion, not understanding why she would be so forgiving.

"Let's get you back to the hotel, okay?" He replied smiling slightly.

She nodded, returning the smile and the pair left four two five Waterman.

* * *

Sam and Artimes were sitting at the table in their hotel room. The younger Winchester was reading a book and Artimes was reading over a magazine. Dean came back to the room several hours later and started packing without a word.

"Dean, what are you doing?" The brunette asked putting his book down and glancing briefly at the red head.

The elder Winchester ignored him and continued packing. Once he was through with his bag, he started packing up the ginger's duffel as well.

"What? Are you…are you leaving?" Sam asked becoming slightly worried with his brother's continued silence.

"You don't need me or Artz. You and Ruby go fight demons." The blonde answered harshly, making Artimes cringe and shrink into her chair a little.

Dean picked up her bag and his and started for the door. The ginger abandoned her magazine and her chair to follow the furious blonde. Sam got up and got in his brother's way. The elder Winchester reached out for the red head's hand and pulled her with him as he went around the younger Winchester.

"Dean." Sam tried again.

The blonde dropped the bags and released the ginger's hand. Thus ensued a rather one sided fight between the brothers. Artimes shrunk back further and further as the two of them started yelling, flinching as their voices became louder and more angry. She tried to keep herself together, she tried to stay strong, but she hated yelling. It tore into her every time it happened. Tears flowed down her face as memories of her past flooded her mind; how her mother would yell at her, her grandmother's angry stare, her father's bellowing, and the constant fighting between her family members.

She continued to watch them tear each other down and she covered her mouth so they wouldn't hear her sobbing. Neither Winchester noticed how the distraught the red head was.

"Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see because it's gonna get darker and darker and God knows where it ends." Dean snapped his voice cold from his rage.

Sam finally glanced at Artimes and his insides twisted at what he saw. She was crying so hard, keeping her mouth covered so they couldn't hear her, and her eyes were filled with so much pain and hurt. It killed him that he and his brother had caused her to be in that state. Bobby had told them up and down not to lose their tempers with the ginger around. Now he could see why the older hunter had been so insistent. He was going to make things right and it was going to start right here and right now with his brother. He turned his attention to his fuming elder sibling, determination burning in his eyes.

"I know exactly where it ends…with the knife plunged into Ruby's and Lilith's chests." Sam stated boldly.

Artimes stared at him in complete shock, her jaw dropped open and stunned into silence. Even the elder Winchester looked confused by the sudden shift in his brother's attitude.

"What?" The blonde asked.

"Artz told me about Ruby…that she's working secretly with Lilith for some bigger purpose. We don't know what that purpose is and I'm not going to let us get caught with our pants down on this. I'm going to find out what that white eyed bitch has in store for her end game and then we're going to gank them both." The brunette answered as the ginger dried her tears and tried to make herself look less than a mess.

She took a step forward, a great deal calmer than she had been a few seconds ago.

"That's going to be dangerous, Sammy. Not only will you have to keep playing the fool with Ruby, but we'll have to keep it off the angels' radar too." The red head stated.

Dean looked over at the ginger and internally winced. Her eyes were glassy and her face was red from crying. He glanced away, feeling like a total douche bag for hurting her like that. Bobby had been so adamant that they never lost their tempers. The older hunter had told him about how her family was always fighting or shouting at one another. It was the reason why the ginger always flinched or cringed when someone raised their voice at her. He tried to focus on his younger sibling instead of how he had forced the red head down memory lane.

"What? Why?" Sam asked looking to his older brother for answers.

"Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will." Dean answered keeping his gaze firmly fixed on his brother.

Sam looked over at Artimes and he could see the request burning in her eyes. He nodded his consent and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Might as well get it out all in one go. In order for Sammy to use his psychic powers, he has to drink demon blood. It acts like a drug to his system, Dean. If this is the path you two want to take then he'll have to keep doing that. It will be up to us to keep him on the right track, okay?" She informed waiting for the blonde's explosive outburst.

Dean's jaw clenched tightly, not happy with this idea, but the alternative was asking Artimes. He glanced at her briefly, noticing how she was curled into herself like she was waiting for him to start yelling again. He glanced at his brother, who was looking at him with hope, desperation, and resolve. Could they really walk this path or should they simply ask the red head? He glanced back at her again and his heart made the decision for him. He sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging under an invisible burden.

"I really need a vacation." He stated suddenly, shaking his head slightly.

Artimes looked up at him and a smile spread across her face. He was glad that her smile was back. It was much better than seeing her in tears. She closed the distance between them and gave him a hug. He wrapped his right arm around her and allowed his body to relax. No more fighting…now was the time for them to work together, not be at each other's throats.

"I'm still not happy with this, not by a long shot, but if this is really what you want to do…" He started then glanced down at the red head that was still hugging him, "…then we've got your back. We won't let you walk this path alone. We'll do it together because we're family and family looks out for each other."

"It is, Dean. Thank you. I know it's dangerous and incredibly risky but…" Sam started relief written on his face.

"…But we need the information. Just be careful." Dean finished giving his brother a serious look.

"You know, you guys could always ask m…" Artimes started.

"No." Both stated firmly.

She blinked a couple of times. She hadn't been expecting that. Why wouldn't they want the information without any risk to them? Wouldn't it be better that way?

"But…" She tried again.

"You've got enough to worry about. Let us do some of the leg work, alright?" Dean interrupted rubbing her shoulder.

The brothers shared a look with each other and they came to a silent agreement about the ginger's foreknowledge. If there was no other option left open to them, then they would ask her. She opened her mouth to present her argument when the brunette's phone rang. Both the blonde and the red head flinched at the sound, having been unprepared for it. Sam gave them an apologetic look and quickly answered it.

After a few minutes, the younger Winchester informed them of a case in Carthage, Missouri and that they needed to find a man called Jack Montgomery. Artimes knew they were off to fight a rougarou and all she wanted was some pie and some shut eye…maybe a stiff drink too.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter 6 is complete! Bit tense there and yes, there is a deviation from what was seen in the episode but there is a reason for that. This story is slightly AU, but not much. Don't worry, everything gets explained in later chapters. Some of it is explained in the first OC arc which I think you guys will enjoy. Now leave tons and tons of reviews and don't forget to leave your ideas for Yellow Fever as well. Be on the lookout for Chapter 7: Food Frenzy! Stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7: Food Frenzy

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Chosen! Sorry for the wait, but things are getting hectic as we get closer to Christmas. Unfortunately, the next few chapters will want to make you curl into a ball and cry but I promise that New Year's will bring some good chapters in the form of the Monster Movie episode. About a week later, just in time for my birthday, should be the first OC arc. Let's hope my family will give me some peace to type up the chapters and post them. Much love and thanks to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed this story!

Brief Recap: The Winchesters checked into a hotel for the evening and things started going haywire. Sam snuck out, Artimes followed him, and oh Dean was shot into the past by Castiel. Sam left with Ruby and Artimes returned to the room shortly after Dean had returned from the past. It was then revealed that the younger Winchester was using his psychic powers and working with a demon, but that was not the only thing discovered that night. Artimes was completely petrified of the brunette's powers which really pissed off the elder Winchester. This led to an altercation between Ruby and Dean then to a fight between the Winchester siblings which somehow led to the timeline of events being altered slightly and the ginger wondered what the heck was going on. (Okay, so not so brief.)

Looking Forward: There is a bit of talking while the trio of hunters are on their way to Carthage, Missouri and there was some more talking while they were staking out Jack Montgomery's home. After some weirdness, the trio went to the hotel and the boys are reunited with an old family friend, Travis. Artimes explains what it is that they are facing and the older hunter is starting to become suspicious of her though he tries to keep it under wraps.

Now enough blabbing from me! On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Seven: Food Frenzy

* * *

Artimes climbed into the back seat of the Impala and the boys slid into the front seats. Dean put the car in drive and they started towards Carthage. The ginger rummaged around the back seat looking for something in particular. She would never admit it to the brothers, but she was still shaken from her experience at four two five Waterman and the rather volatile trip down memory lane during their little tiff. She nearly let out a cry of victory when she found what she was looking for, a bottle of scotch. Both brothers were surprised when she suddenly opened it and started chugging the contents.

"Artz, are you okay?" Sam asked very worried.

The crimson haired woman did not drink often and usually only in small amounts. She stopped for a breather, her eyes covered by her hair.

"I will be." She muttered quietly as she placed the bottle back to her lips.

She quickly downed the rest of the bottle, letting out a small hiccup before lying down in the back seat. Her head rested on her duffel bag, using it like a pillow, and the now empty bottle hung loosely in her right hand. Her eyes slid close and after a few minutes, she was out like a light. Sam reached over the seat and took the bottle from her hand, placing it in the floor board in front of him.

Keeping one hand on the wheel at all times, the elder Winchester managed to shrug out of his jacket and handed it to his little brother. He nodded in the ginger's direction and the brunette reached across the seat again. He laid the jacket over her, tucking it in around her. He smiled softly as she snuggled deeper under the jacket, her hair falling into her face. Sam brushed her hair away, tucking it behind her ear and stroking her cheek a little. He then returned to his seat and facing the front once more.

Dean recounted his 'Back to the Future' moment to Sam and the brothers talked it about it some. Afterwards, they sat in silence, each to their own thoughts.

"Do you really want to do this? This thing with Ruby and Lilith…because Artz is right. We could ask her and save us a whole lot of trouble." Dean asked breaking the silence.

The younger Winchester sighed quietly.

"Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. Artimes knows so much about what is coming. She even told me that the series was up to its tenth season." The brunette answered.

"What season are we in now? Eight? Nine?" The blonde asked glancing briefly at his brother.

"Fourth." The younger Winchester answered bluntly.

"Damn." Dean breathed not liking that answer.

"Exactly. Not only does she have to deal with what is happening right now with Lilith and the seals, but also another six years of future problems. It's a miracle she hasn't buckled under that kind of stress." Sam commented shaking his head at the thought of knowing so far ahead into the future.

"Bobby did say she was the most stubborn woman he had ever met." The blonde replied glancing briefly at the sleeping ginger.

"I'll admit that her will power is stronger than most. Hell, stronger than even the most seasoned of hunters, but her heart is kind, Dean. I mean really kind and like the selfish bastards we are, we're dragging her along with us. The least we can do is make it easier on her. If that means we have to take the more dangerous path to get information instead of asking her point blank then I say we do it." The younger Winchester continued passionately.

Dean growled slightly, still not liking this plan but he had to agree with his younger brother on this.

"I may not like it, but I agree. We have to protect her, Sammy. I honestly can't go what we went through with the Witnesses again. It hurt too much." The elder Winchester said softly, his jaw clenching slightly at the memory of that day.

"We will, Dean. We'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and stop the apocalypse." Sam replied firmly.

"I hope we have some big stomachs because that is a tall order to fill." Dean commented glancing at his brother a moment.

"Which one?" Sam asked though he kind of had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

The elder Winchester glanced back at the crimson haired woman snuggling into his jacket then at his younger brother.

"Protecting Artz." Dean answered like it was obvious.

The younger Winchester slowly smiled, shaking his head at his elder sibling. The blonde sent him a smirk which made the brunette chuckle. Both brothers laughed softly and for a moment, all was good in the Winchester world.

* * *

The elder Winchester parked the Impala across the street from Jack Montgomery's home. The brothers were currently discussing whether or not it was really a case. Sam had a frown on his face, his eyes showing how deeply in thought he was.

"Dean, why do you think Artz reacted so badly to my powers?" He asked shifting topics.

Dean sighed a little, his jaw clenching slightly at the memory. The red head had been so terrified and it had ignited something deep within the elder Winchester. It was deep and burning desire to protect the ginger haired woman. He hadn't totally forgiven his brother for that just yet. He was working on it, but the blonde had begun to notice how his objectivity commonly went out a window when Artimes was involved.

"I don't know, Sammy. It might have to do with her being a 'Chosen', whatever the hell that really means." Dean answered looking through his binoculars again, "What I do know is that it scared her so bad that she was trying to push me away from the building and begging me to make it stop."

He saw his brother wince slightly in his peripheral vision. He knew his brother hadn't meant to scare her like that, but what's done was done.

"We should ask Bobby to look into this 'Chosen' thing." Sam suggested trying to push down the guilt burning in his stomach.

"Already did, so far absolute zilch." The blonde answered.

"Do you think Castiel lied to her?" The brunette asked looking back at the still sleeping ginger in the back seat.

"Cas may be a dick, Sam, but he's pretty straight forward about crap like this. Besides, I kind of got the feeling that he liked her. From what Artz said, she and him hit it off pretty well." The elder Winchester countered.

"Maybe." Sam replied before switching topics again, "Anything happening in there?"

"I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top, but this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring." Dean answered a little frustrated and kind of bored.

"I don't know, Dean. Travis seemed pretty sure." The brunette commented picking up his own binoculars and looking through them.

The boys' mouths fell open as Jack started eating like he hadn't eaten in days. He chucked the remnants of a chicken, more like the bones, aside and grabbed a package of uncooked meat. He opened it up and started eating the raw meat, throwing looks over his shoulder for his wife.

"I'd say that qualified as weird." Sam stated a disgusted look on his face that mirrored his elder sibling's.

Artimes sat up suddenly, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She glanced at the house and mumbled the word 'Rougarou' though the brothers didn't comprehend it. She looked at them sleepily as they stared at her in surprise. They hadn't expected her to wake up so suddenly.

"Can we go to the hotel now? I'm hungry." She asked making the boys look nauseous for a moment.

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Artimes exited the Impala and walked through the door to their hotel room. The trio stopped as they had just entered, seeing something in their room…more like someone. A smile slid onto Dean's face as he recognized the older man sitting at the table with a beer in his hand.

"Travis." Sam stated smiling.

"See, Sam. Told you we should have hid the beer." The elder Winchester said cheekily.

The older man stood up and with a smile, walked towards the boys as they walked towards him. Artimes hung back, feeling a tad bit awkward considering she had had no previous experience with Travis.

"Smart ass. Get over here." The hunter stated.

The blonde laughed and the two men hugged briefly.

"Ahh, good to see you." The older man said fondly.

"You too." Dean replied.

The pair broke apart and Travis hugged the younger Winchester as well.

"Good to see you." Travis stated happily.

"You too, Travis." Sam replied.

The trio of hunters continued to banter a bit while the ginger watched on with sad eyes. The only person who would treat her like that was Bobby. The red head's heart ached a bit at the fact that she was in a world where she did not even exist and no one knew her here. She was the outsider, the one trying to push into other people's lives just to validate her own existence. It was a very lonely place to be. She looked down at the floor, willing herself to put aside her memories of the past and focus on the present. She was with her boys and that was enough for her.

"John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this." Travis commented making Artimes look up at them again.

"Yeah well, we've had our ups and downs, but we get through it." Dean replied glancing at his brother.

The younger Winchester sent his elder sibling a small smile and his brother returned the gesture. The red head glanced between the two brothers, confusion dancing in her eyes. She could have sworn that the rift between them had started at four two five Waterman, yet they still acted like they trusted each other. Did she have something to do with that? Had she actually changed the dynamics of their relationship that much by simply being there? She felt hope bubble up in her chest at the thought.

"Nothing more important than family and speaking of family. May I introduce Artimes Blaine, the most stubborn woman you will ever have the fortune to meet." The blonde continued introducing the ginger rather dramatically.

She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a dead panned expression.

"That was some introduction, idjit." She stated walking towards them and dropping her hands to her sides.

Travis chuckled softly at her spunk.

"Well you can tell she's spent time with that old battle axe of a hunter, Bobby. Sounds just like him." The older hunter commented smiling at the red head.

Sam chuckled softly and Dean smiled as well, a soft look in their eyes as they gazed at the ginger. Travis noticed how the Winchesters moved subconsciously towards her, flanking her on both sides like they protecting her. She was either something very special to them or she wasn't what she appeared to be. He extended his hand, giving her the benefit of the doubt for now, and she took it, shaking his hand. He could feel a slight pull to her and that pull put him on edge. It wasn't normal, not by a long shot.

"It certainly is a pleasure meeting such a beautiful lady." He said smoothly, covering up his suspicious tone with charm.

Artimes retracted her hand somewhat quickly, giving him a weird look like she wasn't quite comfortable being around him. Just another piece of the puzzle which only made him more suspicious of her.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, sunshine. Just ask these idjits." She replied concealing her discomfort with her sassy nature.

The trio of hunters laughed though Travis simply went along with it. That girl wasn't right, but he needed to observe her just a bit longer then he would know for sure. He motioned them over to the table and he and the boys sat down. The ginger frowned when she only saw three chairs.

"What kind of table only has three chairs?" She griped quietly.

She let out a squeak of surprise when the elder Winchester pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms securely around her waist. She tried to move, feeling rather embarrassed, but he refused to let her go. She glared at him and he just flashed her that annoyingly charming smile of his. She huffed and settled down, relaxing into his hold. Sam was trying not to laugh at her childish behavior while Travis watched the trio with slightly narrowed eyes.

"So, you track down Montgomery?" The older man asked getting back to the original reason he had called them to Carthage.

"Yeah, we found him at his home." Sam answered.

"And?" Travis prompted.

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies, topped off with a burger he forgot to cook." Dean answered.

"Ew." Artimes commented scrunching up her nose slightly in disgust.

The ginger froze when she felt the blonde's hand rub her side in a soothing manner. She had never known the elder Winchester to be the comforting sort. She mentally frowned when she realized that he had been doing that a lot lately; holding her, allowing her to hug him, letting her cry in his arms. She wasn't complaining about it, she just found it to be a bit weird. She had been so focused on her inner musings and the sensation of him rubbing her side that she accidentally zoned out part of the conversation. She snapped back to attention when Sam asked her a question.

"Artz, do you know what a rougarou is?" The brunette asked.

Artimes nodded and Travis raised an eyebrow at this. He highly doubted that she knew anything pertinent to the case, but he was in for a big surprise.

"Care to give us the overview?" Dean requested.

"Their monsters who remain in a human like form for years. They go through a metamorphosis once they consume human flesh. The way to identify a possible rougarou is their ever-increasing appetite. They are driven by that hunger and the only way to sate is the flesh of humans, but once that happens, they can never be human again. They become full on monster after that, driven by their never ending hunger until someone puts them down." The red head summarized.

Travis had been floored by her extensive knowledge of the rougarou, something considered to be a legend. He had long since determined that she was not a hunter, her eyes were too soft and warm for that, but she certainly had the knowledge of seasoned hunter. It was that knowledge coupled with the pull he felt from her that made him so untrusting of her. How did she come by such knowledge? It wasn't by firsthand experience, that was for damn sure. What was she? More importantly, what did she want with the Winchesters?

"That was rather impressive, little lady and our man Jack is headed there on a bullet train." Travis commented keeping his demeanor calm and casual.

"Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?" Dean asked not liking how the older hunter kept glancing at the red head.

"Let's just say it runs in his family." Travis answered glancing towards her again.

The blonde knew something was up with the older man, but he didn't know what.

"You mean, uh…" Sam started also noticing the hunter's lingering looks at the ginger.

"Killed his daddy back in seventy eight. Son of a bitch mangled eight bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife…little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system." Travis explained.

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"It wasn't that he couldn't find him, Sam. It was because he didn't want to. Think about it a moment. The idea of hunting some poor kid. He didn't have the heart to do it. He wanted to wait and make sure he had the right person. Right, Travis?" Artimes interjected.

The older hunter looked at the red head, fighting every instinct he had as a hunter. There was no way she could have known exactly what he was going to say. She was not normal. No, he feared that she was far from the innocent and kind woman she pretended to be. He needed to find out what she had in store for the Winchesters and put a stop to it. Several possibilities rolled through his mind; succubus, witch and demon were at the top of the list.

"Apparently, I do." He stated taking a swig of his beer.

Travis would do all in his power to protect John's boys. It was the least he could for the old man that had saved his skin more times than he could count. Whatever the hell this Artimes was, he would gank her before she could do anymore damage to the Winchester brothers, but the problem was getting her away from them. She was practically attached at the hip to them. He needed to warn them of the danger before it was too late.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 7: Food Frenzy is complete! What will Travis do to our favorite Supernatural expert? How will he 'warn' the boys of what she 'supposedly' is? How will the boys react to Travis's allegations against the kind hearted ginger? You'll just have to wait and see. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 8: Clearing the Air! Stay tuned!


	8. Chapter 8: Clearing the Air

Lady A: Happy Christmas, everyone! Welcome back to Chosen! Because I am such a gem and just totally fabulous, I am posting a chapter today! If I can manage it, I'll try to get a second one done too. Much love and thanks to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed this story!

Brief Recap: The trio of hunters headed off to Carthage, Missouri and located one Jack Montgomery. After a lot of talking and some weirdness, the trio check go to their hotel room where the boys are reunited with a family friend and fellow hunter, Travis. Artimes explained what a rougarou was and the older hunter now believes that the ginger is some sort of monster who is out to manipulate the Winchesters for some reason or another.

Looking Forward: A friendship is ended and the crimson haired woman learns just how deeply affected the elder Winchester was by her near death experience with the Witnesses. The trio of hunters start on their way to Jack's place when Artimes demands that they pull over. After a few speeches, some stunned silence, and moderate embarrassment, the trio hit the road again.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Eight: Clearing the Air

* * *

Artimes swiftly left the hotel room, uncomfortable with how Travis had been looking at her. It was like he was the hunter and she was the prey. It freaked her out pretty bad so she left the boys to contend with the older man and let them get prepared for the upcoming hunt without her getting under foot. She leaned against a nearby pillar, still within eyesight of the door, but far enough away to give the illusion of privacy.

She jumped slightly when she saw the younger Winchester wrench open the door, fury in his eyes, and stormed out of the hotel room, slamming the door shut behind him. He walked off in the opposite direction of her, his hands clenched in rage. She wondered briefly as to what had pissed him off so bad, but then remembered that Travis had shot down the brunette's hope of saving Jack, saying it was nothing more than a myth.

The ginger pushed off the pillar and walked over to the room, fully intending of smoothing things over with Dean so that he wouldn't be upset with Sam about trying to save a monster. She paused, the door key in her hand, as she heard the blonde's voice.

"What the hell is your problem, Travis?!" The elder Winchester shouted in outrage.

What the hell? Artimes blinked owlishly in confusion. What the heck was going on? Why was Dean yelling at the older hunter? That didn't make any sense. Weren't they friends?

"It's not natural, Dean!" Travis snapped back.

"Not natural? We know a lot more about what is going on than you do, Travis, and I won't let you spout shit like that about Artimes. She's our friend." Dean replied coldly, making the ginger shudder a bit at his tone.

What did she have to do this? Why were they fighting about her? She wracked her brain for a plausible explanation for this argument, but was coming up with nothing. She ran through her interactions with Travis, trying to find what had set him off. Sure, she knew about the rougarou, but she had spent time with Bobby so it wasn't that much of a stretch for her to know about them. As to her conclusion about him waiting, that was simple observation and deductive reasoning. Damn it, what the hell?! This was not supposed to happen!

"Your friend? You've known her less than a week, Dean, yet you and Sam act like she's family." The older hunter pointed out.

"Just because she's not blood, doesn't mean she's not family, Travis." The elder Winchester retorted angrily, "She's proven herself time and again that she is someone that me and my brother can trust and she sure as hell is someone we can rely on."

Artimes felt tears prick at her eyes as the blonde defended her with the very same words she had said to the Witnesses, but at the same time, Travis did have a point. They brothers let her in so easily. It was bizarre and she was still trying to figure it out. She knew she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth but she knew the boys didn't trust _that_ easily.

"She has you two so wrapped up around her little finger, Dean, and you don't even see it. She's using you and when she's done with you, God knows what she'll do to you." Travis stated firmly.

The ginger slipped her door key back into her pocket and took a step back from the door. She was half tempted to bust down that door and beat the living shit out of him for even suggesting that she would hurt her boys, but it seemed that her feelings and the elder Winchester's were perfectly in sync in that moment.

"We're done. We gank the rougarou, but then that's it. Don't call us again." Dean stated his voice filled with a glacial fury.

"You would choose a monster you have just met over a family friend, someone trying to protect you?" Travis asked incredulously.

"You're damn right I would because if there is something worth protecting on this stinking hell hole of a planet, it's Artimes." The blonde answered firmly.

Artimes scurried away from the door as the elder Winchester yanked it open.

"Oh and by the way, Travis, Bobby tested her every which way under the sun. She's not a monster. Now excuse me. I have a _real_ monster to gank, a brother to calm down, and a woman to protect." Dean stated before slamming the door shut.

The red head flinched at the sound.

"Nice to know you think so highly of me, but you didn't have to wreck a friendship to defend me, Dean." She piped up, coming out from her hiding spot and joining him.

The elder Winchester turned around quickly, surprise etched on his face.

"You heard all that?" He asked softly, his eyes apologetic.

She smiled slightly, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"Just the bit after Sammy left. Seriously, you should patch things up with Travis." She answered nodding her head to the hotel room.

"No." He stated firmly, his eyes blazing.

"Why not? So he called me a monster, big deal. Trust me, I've been called worse." Artimes replied shrugging nonchalantly.

"It's more than that, Artz. He said you were using us. Even compared you to a succubus and that if we don't gank you, he would. I won't let that happen. I will protect you." Dean countered his tone hard from his rising anger.

She sighed quietly.

"Why do you and Sam want to protect me so much? Why do you protect me in the first place? And don't think I haven't noticed how easily you two let me in. Took almost two months to get Bobby to trust me, yet with you guys, it took less than two days. It doesn't make any sense, Dean, and you know it." The ginger replied.

The elder Winchester stared at her for a few moments, his green eyes dancing with shadows...like echoes of memories of days long past. He seemed so much older than he actually was.

"Remember what happened with the Witnesses?" Dean began suddenly.

"Kind of hard to forget. What's your point, Dean?" She replied wondering where he was going with this.

"When I thought you were dead, it was like the whole world went upside down for me. I couldn't tell which way was up…it was like something broke inside me and I was going to pieces, Artz, like life wasn't worth living anymore. I never felt that way before, never, and all I could think about was how much you had done for us; you helped us, protected Bobby, told a ghost to piss off, and managed to stitch together the rift between me and Sam that I didn't even know existed. We protect you because we want to, but me personally, I protect you because I honestly can't go through what I did that day." The blonde admitted his eyes reflecting his emotions.

She simply stared at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She hadn't known, hell she hadn't imagined, that her brush with death had hurt him so deeply. She came to the decision that she could not allow herself to die. She promised herself that she would do all she could to never hurt Dean like that again…or at least try not to. She would have to be that much more careful, but there was nothing she would not do for the elder Winchester.

"I'm hungry." She stated suddenly, smiling at him and forcing them away from such a somber topic.

She knew the blonde didn't like to openly admit his feelings like that and he was pretty vulnerable at the moment, so she would distract him and allow him to return to his usual badass exterior was once more.

"Me too." He replied a smile slowly appearing on his face, his eyes beginning to calm.

"I want pie. How does that sound, hm?" She suggested.

"Sounds great." He answered chuckling slightly at how madly the ginger was beaming.

"Fantastic! Let's go find Sammy and have some pie! Onwards!" She stated enthusiastically, grabbing his arm and dragging him with her.

He laughed at her antics before turning the tables and tickling her. She squealed and ran off, the blonde closely following. They found the younger Winchester who immediately busted out laughing when his brother caught the ginger and was tickling her like mad. The brunette took pity on her and helped her fight off the elder Winchester. After horsing around for another ten minutes, the trio headed off for the local café to have a bite to eat before leaving for the hunt.

* * *

The trio were once again in the Impala and Artimes was going mental. The silence was deafening and the tension in the air was so thick that she felt like she was suffocating. Even though they had played and joked around earlier, the boys seemed unreasonably on edge and their bodies were tense. This was not how they needed to start this thing. They needed to be calm and loose, ready for anything.

"Pull over." She commanded her voice calm, even, and authoritative.

"What?" Dean asked confused.

"Stop the car or I will." She ordered giving him a look that he had better do what she said and pronto or there would be serious repercussions.

The elder Winchester did as she asked and the trio exited the vehicle. The boys stood next to each other as she stood a few in front of them.

"Alright, start talking." She ordered crossing her arms and giving them a pointed look.

They looked at each other then at her, wearing identical masks of confusion. She growled as she placed her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing in anger.

"You couldn't slice the tension between you two even if you had a machete, so what's going on?" She continued looking at them with blazing eyes, "Somebody had better start talking before I beat the shit out of both you myself to get them. Your choice."

The younger Winchester took a hesitant step closer, swallowing hard.

"Travis…" He started glancing briefly at his brother.

Dean's jaw clenched at the name, his eyes boiling in fury.

"He…uh…_said_ some things about you." The brunette continued extremely hesitant.

"Is that what this is about? Travis? Yes, I know he called me a monster. Yes, I know he wants to kill me. So what's the problem, Sam?" Artimes replied wondering if he was ever going to get to the point.

"I know you're not a monster and I would never let him hurt you, but…" Sam trailed off.

"But what?" Dean asked his eyes hardening to stone.

"But he made a good point…about us not really knowing her, how we trust her so easily." The brunette answered.

"Sam!" The blonde snapped extremely pissed.

"Look! It's one thing for her to have earned Bobby's trust. She had plenty of time, but us? Come on, Dean, we've known her less than a week and yet we care about her like she's family! Something's not right about that. It happened too fast!" Sam explained hurriedly.

"I kind of have to agree with Sammy on this one." Artimes piped up, making the younger Winchester look at her in surprise.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" The elder Winchester yelled angrily, turning around and walking away a few steps.

She flinched slightly but she refused to back down. He needed to understand why.

"Shut up and let me make my point, idjit." She started as he turned to face her again, "I understand where Sam is coming from on this because I've asked myself the very same questions. Why do you trust me? Why do you protect me? Why do you care? As of right now, I don't have the answers and I'm not certain if I'll ever be able to find them, but you two asked me to come along and I did."

She turned her focus to Sam, a determined look in her eyes.

"Sam, you said you wanted a chance to get to know me…like Bobby has. You have a week's worth of observations. Tell me what you've seen. Tell me what you've learned thus far." She challenged her tone gentle and kind.

The younger Winchester stared at her, his mind at a loss for words. He hadn't expected this so he hadn't really formed an opinion yet. He searched through his memories of the ginger, quickly cataloging his time with her. He glanced over at his elder brother, who was still royally pissed, but looking at him expectantly.

"You're kind, kinder than most. You're smart, clever, and resourceful. You follow your instincts and go where your heart guides you. You're very forgiving, especially to those who don't believe they deserve it…namely us. When we fight, you cry…your eyes so full of pain, but no matter how bad it gets, no matter how hard we fight…you always pull yourself back together and somehow you do the same thing for us." He answered pausing as the wheels in his head turned, putting the pieces together, "You care about us…a lot; our safety, our happiness, how we feel about each other. Everything you do is for us. How did I not notice that before?"

The younger Winchester stared at the red head, realization on his face. She smiled softly at him, understanding and humor in her eyes.

"You see, but you do not observe. You had to slow down long enough to actually see it, Sam. Believe me, I know your problems and Dean's. You think you're a freak. Well join the club, sunshine. I think I trump you on freakiness right now. As for the darkness within, you can't have light without darkness and to be human means you struggle to find balance between the two every single day." Artimes replied before looking towards Dean, "And don't get me started on you, sunshine. You're like Supernatural's version of Captain Jack Harkness with a dash of the Doctor thrown in for good measure. Your guilt drives you like it did the Doctor, but news flash, sonny jim: everything bad that happens is not your fault!

So quit blaming yourself, you fucking moron! Life is exploding around you in fucking technicolor, but you're too busy wallowing in the despair of your past to fucking notice! Focus on the good, not the bad. Just think: how many lives have you saved? There are hundreds if not thousands of people that are still alive and kicking because of you two! So get your heads in the game and save someone! That is what it means to be a Winchester. 'Saving people, hunting things, the family business'."

Both brothers were openly gaping at her, their eyes wide with shock and completely stunned by her little rant. For several moments, she thought she had broken them because they were not moving. The elder Winchester was the first to sort himself out enough to find his voice.

"Let's go talk to Jack, okay?" The blonde asked his voice revealing that her words had hit their mark very accurately.

"Yeah." Sam breathed out, moving jerkily back towards the car.

Artimes dropped her head and made a beeline for the door. She pulled it open and hopped into the back seat. Her cheeks were rosy from embarrassment. She had not meant to go off into a speech and she definitely hadn't meant to completely blindside the boys either. The elder Winchester revved the Impala to life and put them back on the highway. None of them spoke, but the silence was no longer stifling and they seemed to have cleared the air between them.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it, folks! Chapter 8: Clearing the Air has been completed! To be honest, I was not entirely sure why I had this chapter. I think it was mainly to fill in the gap of the brothers' argument in the show, but tell me what you think anyways. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 9: Man vs. Monster! Stay tuned, keep a box of tissues handy and maybe a first aid kit!


	9. Chapter 9: Man vs Monster

Lady A: *appears with a zap* Shazaam! Bet cha you were not expecting this! Ha! I decided to immediately type up Chapter 9 instead of stopping to post Chapter 8. This way you get a two for one special. Happy Christmas, everybody! Hope you enjoyed my little gift for all you amazing and wonderful people who faved, followed, and reviewed this story!

Brief Recap: Travis attempted to warn the boys about Artimes supposedly being a monster. The boys reacted rather badly to it. Dean revealed how he felt when the ginger had died the first time and the trio set off for Jack's. After some speeches, some stunned silence and some embarrassment, the trio returned to the Impala and started towards Jack's again.

Looking Forward: The boys have a conversation with Jack which kind of belly flops. The boys tail after him and Artimes does something rather stupid. Things get volatile and Travis ends up dead. What will happen to Artimes? Will she live? Will she die? Does Jack kill her…or does Travis? What about afterwards? Who takes down Jack?

Find out now! On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Nine: Man vs. Monster

* * *

Artimes remained in the Impala when the Winchester brothers spoke to Jack. That entire discussion belly flopped like no tomorrow and the boys quickly rejoined her in the car. The ginger suggested that they tail after the man, but the brothers didn't like the thought of having her so close when shit hit the fan, so they dropped her off at the hotel. The moment they were out of sight, she hailed a cab and quickly made her return to the Montgomery home.

She knew that Travis was going to make a very big mistake here and she had to stop him. If she could Jack's wife away from the house before the hunter arrived then she could avert the whole hostage situation thing entirely. She sneaked around the house, her eyes lighting up when she found an open window. It was small and would be a tight fit but at least she could get in. With great effort, she slid through the open window, grunting in pain as she landed on the floor.

She rubbed her now sore and possibly bruised stomach from where she had squeezed through the window. She made a mental note to ask Dean to teach her how to pick a lock, because she was totally rubbish at it and she really needed some instruction. Why couldn't people have normal sized windows?

"Don't hurt me because I'm pregnant!" A woman cried out.

The ginger's blood turned to ice as she realized that Travis was already here. Artimes made her way through the house and spotted Michelle Montgomery cowering on the floor in the kitchen. Travis was standing a few feet in front of her, a dark look in his eyes. The red head didn't think twice about rushing into the room and placing herself between the frightened woman and the older hunter.

"Don't even think about it, Travis. I won't let you hurt her." The ginger stated boldly, taking up a more defensive stance in front of the crying woman.

"Great. One monster protecting another monster. I did warn them, but they just wouldn't listen." Travis replied his eyes holding an almost wicked gleam.

For a moment, silence a hung between them. The tension was so thick that Artimes could barely breathe. She blinked and he back handed her across the face. She fell against the stove, trying to blink away the stars. She didn't have time to recover because he suddenly punched her in the side. She gasped for breath and he kicked her legs out from underneath her. She fell forward and her head collided with the edge of the counter. There was a brief flash of pain and her world went dark.

* * *

Artimes stirred slowly, her head throbbing like mad. She could barely make out the sounds of a struggle and then there was a thud. She managed to get her eyes to open as Jack's wife bolted from the room in fear.

"Jack." The ginger said softly, blinking the blurriness from her eyes.

She tried to move, but found herself with her hands handcuffed behind a chair. Jack stood up and turned towards the red head. The hunger in his eyes made her blood run cold, but she refused to allow herself to be afraid of this man.

"He said you tried to protect her. Thank you…but you've got to go." He stated moving over to her.

He reached behind her, taking hold of the handcuffs. He broke them apart and helped her to her feet. He stared at the right side of her forehead and she reached up hesitantly. Her fingertips brushed along something sticky and wet. She pulled her hand down and saw the blood on her fingers. She looked up at Jack with tear filled eyes, silently apologizing for causing him discomfort.

"Go…please. I don't…I don't know how much longer I can control myself." He pleaded gently pushing he towards the back door.

"Please don't hurt the Winchesters. Travis was acting on his own. The boys wanted to save you, let you live in peace." Artimes said in a rush.

"I'm so hungry." He replied before looking at her with desperate eyes, "Stop me…please."

Tears rolled down her face as she nodded, knowing what she had to do. Jack turned back towards Travis's body as she bolted out the back door. She was breathing heavily and her world spun. She could faintly hear the sound of the Impala's engine. That meant the boys had finally arrived. She staggered around the house, trying to deal with the dizziness caused by her blood loss and possible concussion.

She finally made it to the car, the boys nowhere to be seen. Since the boys were already inside, she knew she didn't have much time. She yanked open the trunk and grabbed the remaining flamethrower and a lighter. She stopped a moment to gain stability then made her way to the now open front door. She could barely make out that Sam was talking to Jack.

"My brother and I, we never would have hurt her, okay?!" The younger Winchester stated frantically.

"I know. The red haired girl said you were trying to save me. Oh, God. I'm so hungry." Jack replied.

Artimes finally walked into the room, lighter already lit and the flamethrower pointed directly at Jack.

"I can't ever see my family again." He whispered his tone mirroring his heartbreak.

"Neither can I. Goodbye, Jack and thank you." The ginger replied tears streaming down her face.

"No…thank you." He countered his eyes full of gratitude.

He charged at her and she lit the flamethrower. She tried her hardest to block out his screams as the poor man was burned alive. Jack finally fell to the floor, his body burnt to a crisp. Dean stared at the crying red head as she dropped the flamethrower. It clattered to the floor as she started sobbing. She fell to her knees as the younger Winchester finally got to lock to open. He flung open the door and saw the burnt remains of Jack Montgomery and the loudly sobbing red head. The brothers looked at each other, both wearing the same defeated expression on their faces.

* * *

The trio were in the Impala and they were driving in silence. Dean was behind the wheel and glancing constantly in the rear view mirror. Sam was doing the same in the side mirror. The brothers were extremely worried about the crimson haired woman. For all intents and purposes, she had just killed someone. The boys had learned from Bobby that she had never taken a life, supernatural or otherwise. She had cried herself out as they had tended to her injuries and now she just sat in silence, not looking at anything. She had not spoken a single word in almost three hours.

"You did the right thing, you know. That guy was a monster. There was no going back." Dean said quietly, not able to take the silence any longer.

"You're wrong." She replied softly, not looking up.

The brothers looked at each other, shocked that she had actually responded.

"About what, Artz?" The brunette asked looking back at her.

"About Jack. He wasn't a monster at all. Travis was the one that hurt me, beat me, then handcuffed me to a chair. Jack set me free, controlled his hunger while in the presence of so much blood, and he restrained himself long enough so that I could stop him. He _asked_ me to stop him. I _chose_ to honor his final request as a human being." She answered finally looking up at them.

Her eyes were determined and fierce yet they also shimmered with more tears. Both brothers lowered their heads slightly and they shared a moment of silence to show their respect to the man that was Jack Montgomery.

"You gonna be okay?" The younger Winchester asked.

"I will be." She answered softly.

A few tears leaked down her cheeks and she didn't bother to wipe them away. Dean stared out at the road, silently hating himself for what had happened. He should have never let her do it. Sam glanced at his older brother, seeing the anger, guilt, and regret raging in his eyes. The younger Winchester knew that the crimson haired woman would either kill or be killed, yet she still held so much compassion and kindness. In truth, he envied her a bit. This life had made him so jaded that sometimes he and his brother forgot to feel, but it was different now.

Sam knew what the ginger's purpose was in their world and it had nothing to do with angels, demons, or would be apocalypses. Castiel had said that she had been chosen by God and sent to help them, but the truth was so much more simple than anyone knew.

_Artimes was the heart of the Winchester brothers_.

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter 9: Man vs. Monster is complete! Sorry about it being a shorty chapter but up next is the one, the only…Monster Movie! So leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 10: Welcome to Transylvania! Stay tuned!


	10. Chapter 10: Welcome to Transylvania

Lady A: Hello everyone and welcome back to Chosen! So sorry for the long wait, but it has been super busy with six Doctor Who stories and then all the family stuff. So with that being said, let's get to Monster Movie! Thanks to all those who faved, followed and reviewed! Be sure to check out my latest Doctor Who story, Soul of the Doctor!

* * *

Brief Recap: Artimes attempted to stop Travis from making a horrible mistake and ended up handcuffed to a chair after taking a beating from the older hunter. Jack released her and asked her to stop him. She flame broiled Jack Montgomery and descended into tears for having taken a life. Sam came to the realization that Artimes was their heart.

Looking Forward: The trio of hunters are on their way to Pennsylvania to hunt what appears to be a vampire. Artimes realizes what episode she is about to do and she finds it difficult to contain her excitement. The boys don their FBI suits and they insist that she has to wear a skirt, much to her chagrin. They meet up with the Sheriff, who looks at the ginger like she is eye candy and the boys immediately become more defensive of their female friend.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Ten: Welcome to Transylvania

* * *

The Impala, being driven by Dean, barreled down a road lined with trees. They passed a sign that said 'Welcome to Pennsylvania', but the resident Supernatural expert, Artimes, could have sworn that it had said 'Welcome to Transylvania'. She shook her head slightly, disregarding it as a figment of her imagination, and went back to writing in her journal. She had started a routine of writing down their cases and adventures after Jack's death. It was her way of coping, she supposed…wanting to keep a written account of those they have lost and those they have saved.

"The radio around here sucks." The elder Winchester complained causing to her sigh.

He flicked off the radio, annoyed.

"Well, we can't have exceptional radio reception during a lightning storm, now can we?" The ginger countered sarcastically, gesturing out the front window with her right hand.

Lightning flashed brightly as if agreeing with the crimson haired woman. He gave her a playful glare in the rear view mirror and she sent back a challenging smirk. She had been with them for almost a month now and the boys' lingering misgivings about her had pretty much faded away by this point.

"Come on, guys. Jobs don't get much sweeter than this, you know? Dead vic with a gnawed-on neck, body drained of blood, and a witness who swears up and down that it was a vampire." Dean rattled off, trying to sell them the case.

"No, I…I agree. It's a hell of a case." Sam said distractedly.

"A little more gusto, please. Artz?" The blonde replied glancing back at the red head.

She looked up from her journal with a 'You can't be serious?' look on her face.

"Remember the sweet case you mentioned a week and half ago. We showed a little more gusto then…" She replied her voice so sweet before being laced heavily with sarcasm, "…and I was nearly ripped in half by werewolf!"

He gave her an apologetic look while she simply glared at him.

"Hey, I said I was sorry about that." Dean apologized for the umpteenth time.

She gave him a dead panned expression, not believing him in the slightest.

"You dressed me up as a cheerleader and used me as werewolf bait, you perverted asshole." She snapped no real heat to her voice and her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yeah, nice legs by the way." He commented waggling his eyebrows at her and giving her that seductive, cheeky grin of his.

She blushed deeply before smacking the back of his head with her left hand.

"Ow!" He complained but was still smiling.

"Idjit." She muttered going back to her journal, trying to make her smile go away.

"How can you guys be so happy go lucky? It's just…the world is coming to an end. Things are little complicated, you know?" Sam interjected being the wet blanket for the day and causing the other two occupants of the car to glance over at him.

Dean's eyes flickered to the rear view mirror, his eyes and Artimes's meeting for a moment. He could see the guilt and the desire to help swirling in those sapphire depths, so he winked at her, trying to lighten the mood. She smiled slightly, her blue orbs brightening a bit. He hated seeing her so upset about not being able to tell them about future events, so he did whatever he could to bring a smile to her face.

"Yeah, well, we can't save the world, not today anyway. But what we can do is chop off some vamps' heads. Come on, guys, it's like the good old days, an honest to goodness monster hunt. It's about time the Winchesters got back to tackling a straight forward, black and white case." The elder Winchester replied trying to get his brother out of his funk.

The ginger's head popped up at the blonde's words. They were so familiar…she wracked her brain for a few moments, trying to understand why they rang a bell. A grin spread across her face as she realized that she was at the beginning of Season Four, Episode Five: Monster Movie. It was, by far, one of her most favorite episodes. The boys were going to be so surprised by the end of it all. She forced down her grin to a small smile and tried desperately not to go all fan girl.

"You calling me a Winchester, Dean?" She asked getting back to their conversation.

"You might as well be for putting up with our shit twenty four/seven." He answered smiling.

She laughed a bit.

"Ha! I should be sainted for that!" The red head exclaimed good naturedly.

Sam, despite his best efforts to remain in his somber mood, started to laugh, his eyes shining with humor and amusement.

"You'd make a terrible saint, Artz." The brunette commented continuing to laugh.

Dean let out a bark of laughter, guffawing loudly…especially at the look on the ginger's face.

"Oi!" She cried out indignantly.

They continued laughing until she finally bopped both of them in the back of the head which led to the entire group descending into uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

The trio of hunters were standing outside the Impala, making final adjustments to their clothes. Artimes smoothed out her skirt, not very happy with the elder Winchester for making her wear the short monstrosity again. The only reason she had complied was because Sam insisted that it would appear more professional and authentic if she did.

"Stop fussing, you look smoking hot." Dean commented earning a glare from the irate red head.

She turned and faced him, smoothing out his collar before taking a hold of his tie. He waited for her to try and strangle him with it like she usually did, but instead she fixed it. While still holding his tie, she looked up through her eyelashes, an almost smoldering look in her blue orbs. The blonde's mouth ran dry as his heartbeat quickened. All he could do was stare, completely transfixed by those bright and stunning sapphires.

"Not too bad yourself, handsome." She replied softly.

Dean had to fight down the incredibly strong urge to kiss her senseless. She patted his chest, smirking slightly, before walking away with a sway of her hips. He growled in frustration. Damn it, that woman was going to be the death of him. His brother gave him a knowing look, well aware of his elder sibling's physical attraction to the crimson haired woman. The blonde rolled his eyes before stepping away from the Impala to follow the ginger that loved to torment him.

"We still got to see the new Raiders movie." Dean commented as the brothers caught up to the smiling red head.

"Saw it." Sam replied smiling slightly at how the ginger seemed fascinated with the festivities going on around them.

Her eyes were bright and full of curiosity. He tugged her back by her suit jacket and she pouted at him.

"Without me?" Dean asked incredulously, also pulling Artimes back so she wouldn't wander off.

"You were in Hell." The brunette answered like it was obvious.

The ginger finally gave up trying to look around and both brothers released her simultaneously.

"That's no excuse." Dean snapped pouting slightly.

"I'll watch it with you, Dean. I've never seen it." Artimes piped up.

"It's a date." He stated smirking at her.

She smirked right back and crossed her arms, her right hip jutting out in a sassy manner. The elder Winchester swallowed slightly, his eyes roaming over the ginger's body. That woman knew how to rock a suit.

"Why?" She started garnering his attention again, "You bringing a girlfriend or is it a boyfriend since you're classified as a 'pretty boy'?" She sassed her eyes shining with a wicked amusement.

Sam let out a short bark of laughter, earning a glare from his elder sibling. Before he could respond, something caught the blonde's attention and he smiled like an idiot.

"Big pretzel!" Dean said happily, grabbing the ginger's hand.

The younger Winchester smiled and shook his head as his older brother practically dragged the crimson haired woman over to the pretzel vendor. Dean took two pretzels while Artimes took one. They said their thanks and the pair rejoined the brunette, offering him the third pretzel.

"Thank you." Sam said smiling.

The trio enjoyed their pretzels, the ginger making snide comments about the elder Winchester and the younger Winchester laughing in response. As they finished up, the red head caught sight of the sheriff.

"There he is." She spoke up, pointing to a man in a sheriff's uniform.

The hunters walked over to him, dodging a few drunken customers along the way. Dean actually had to catch Artimes once because of some idiot nearly knocked her off her feet. She smiled at the elder Winchester, thanking him for his quick reflexes. He chuckled and commented about her lack of gracefulness. She glared at him and smacked him upside the head before joining Sam.

"Sheriff Dietrich?" The younger Winchester asked garnering the sheriff's attention instantly.

"Are you the boys…" He started but paused upon seeing the ginger, his eyes roaming over her body, "…and woman from the fed?"

Artimes felt like she was going to wretch at the lustful look she was getting from the officer.

"Agents Angus and Young." Sam introduced as the brothers produced their FBI badges.

"This is our agent in training, Miss Powell." Dean continued as the ginger pulled out her ID and flashed it at the man.

They put away their badges and continued on with their conversation.

"We called ahead about your…uh…problem." Sam stated not liking how the sheriff was eying the ginger like she was candy.

"Right. Um…I'll tell you what. Why don't we talk about this out away from the crowd, huh?" The sheriff suggested licking his lips slightly as he glanced at the red head again.

Artimes was fighting the intense urge to hurl at that moment. She was now thoroughly pissed at the elder Winchester for making her wear a skirt. Dean wrapped his arm around her waist and she calmed under his touch. Damn that Dean Winchester for knowing the kill switch to her anger.

"Lead the way, Sheriff." The blonde stated curtly, a dark look in his eyes that said 'Back off or die a horrific death by my hand'.

The sheriff seemed to get the hint, especially when the younger Winchester moved closer to the ginger haired woman. The hunters followed after the sheriff, never venturing more than a few inches from the crimson haired woman. They knew there would be hell to pay later for the amount of discomfort she was being forced to endure and they knew she would make them pay dearly. Hell hath no fury like their Artz.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter Ten: Welcome to Transylvania is complete! *chuckles* I loved the funny bits in this because it just came out so naturally and it made me laugh while I was writing it. Just to confirm, Artimes is very much a tom boy. She dislikes skirts, dresses, and the colors pink and yellow. She loves darker clothing and prefers jeans and converse. Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Eleven: Twisting Paths! Stay tuned!


	11. Chapter 11: Twisting Paths

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Chosen! I decided to type up the rest of monster Movie which is like two more chapters so you don't have to wait around as long for an update. Aren't I nice? Much love to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed. Please check out my most recent Doctor Who story called Soul of the Doctor. Be advised that there is minor Clara bashing because of how she treats the Twelfth Doctor.

* * *

Brief Recap: The Winchesters and their Supernatural expert, Artimes, arrived in Pennsylvania to hunt down some vamps. Hilarity ensued when the ginger and the elder Winchester bantered with each other. Discomfort arose when the sheriff started eying up the crimson haired woman like she was eye candy.

Looking Forward: The trio learns more about the supposed case, only for the boys to believe that there is no actual supernatural case. Artimes decides to do things on her own and head straight for the source, thus garnering the attention of the shape shifter. Things go haywire when the red head starts being chased by Dracula instead of the bar wench Dean had been flirting with.

On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Twisting Paths

* * *

Artimes, Sam, and Dean entered the morgue as Sheriff Dietrich pulled out a body covered by a sheet. The sheriff drew back the sheet and revealed the body of the woman underneath.

"Marissa Wright, twenty six. Just up from Lockhard for the 'fest. Terrible, just terrible. It's the last thing this town needs at peak tourist season." The sheriff explained.

The ginger barely managed to cover up her disgust at the officer's lack of tact. There was a woman lying dead in front of him and yet he was more worried about how it would affect the town's reputation. Her hand twitched slightly, wanting to smack some common decency into the bastard.

"Definitely the last thing Marissa Wright needed." Sam commented shooting a concerned glance at red head.

Dean turned the body's head and saw two dark puncture marks on her neck like a vampire bite. The younger Winchester caught the ginger's eye and she smiled slightly at him, waving him off and nodding her head in the blonde's direction. He turned his attention back to his brother.

"What the hell?" Dean asked confused by what he was seeing.

It wasn't a normal vampire bite. Artimes knew what it was and boy, were the brothers in for a surprise.

"Yeah, you got me. I mean this killer's some kind of grade A wacko, right? I mean, some Satan worshiping, Anne Rice reading, Gothic, psycho wanna-be." The sheriff commented.

"Shape shifter." The ginger mumbled almost inaudibly.

"Sheriff, in your report, you mentioned a witness." Dean stated getting them back on track.

"Yeah, I wished I didn't, but our witness insisted. That's Ed Brewer. Not exactly what you'd call reliable." The sheriff replied.

Artimes barely managed to suppress an eye roll.

* * *

While Sam and Dean did their thing, Artimes decided to speak with Lucy, She knew that she was the shape shifter, but she was curious all the same. The Winchesters were going to be pissed when they found out. Just desserts for making her wear a skirt during Oktoberfest.

She managed to catch the brunette woman on her fifteen minute break and the two hit it off pretty well. Lucy told her stories about some of her favorite classic movies and amongst them: Dracula. They continued talking even after she had returned to work. They laughed and carried on for almost twenty minutes, enjoying each other's company.

They were interrupted by one of the locals, one Artimes recognized but couldn't place a name to at that moment, and he happened to be way more than a little drunk. The ginger tried to talk her way out, insisting that she wasn't interested, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. He started rubbing her leg and was slowly making his way under her skirt. She was two seconds shy of pulling out her gun and shooting off his family jewels. Fortunately for him, Lucy stepped in and practically tossed the guy out on his keester.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked placing her hand on the ginger's right leg in a comforting manner.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I hate guys like that." Artimes answered leaning her head against the woman's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you. No one will hurt you while I'm around." The brunette woman promised her eyes soft and warm.

The red head smiled softly. If only she wasn't a murdering shape shifter, she would actually like Lucy. The brunette waitress returned to her duties and the ginger rejoined the boys, feeling the need for the sense of safety she got when she was around her boys.

"So, what do you think? Goth, psycho, vampire wanna-be, right?" Dean asked trying to dismiss the case.

The younger Winchester opened his mouth to respond, but Artimes covered it with her hand.

"Wrong. Shape shifter with a love for classic monster movies." She informed smirking.

She walked over to a table and sat down. The boys quickly followed suit and joined her. Dean sat next to her and Sam sat on the opposite side. Funny how that was how it always worked out. The blonde always stayed by her side while the brunette always took up a position so that he could see behind her. They were always looking out for her and trying to protect her. To be honest, she loved it because it made her feel accepted and appreciated rather than an outsider trying to push her way in.

"Nah, no case here. Besides room's paid for and it's Oktoberfest. Come on. Beer and bar wenches." The elder Winchester stated waggling his eyebrows.

The ginger woman chuckled at his over excited behavior.

"Pretty sure women today don't react well to the whole 'wench' thing, Dean." Sam commented defending women everywhere with that statement.

"You'd be surprised, Sam." Artimes countered smirking.

She knew the boys would figure out eventually that it was a shape shifter. There was no harm in enjoying the moment, because they got so few in this line of work.

"Hey, bar wench, where's that beer?" Dean called out to a blonde waitress called Jamie.

"Coming up, good sir!" Jamie called back with a smile.

"Dude, Oktoberfest." Both Artimes and Dean said in unison, bumping their fists together.

Jamie brought the elder Winchester his beer and the ginger had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as he poked fun at his brother.

"Hey Jamie, don't get me wrong, you're smoking hot, but where is Lucy? I was kind of hoping that I could take her out for dinner." Artimes stated earning incredulous looks from the brothers.

"Oh she's in the back, but I'll tell her that you're looking for her." Jamie replied.

"Thanks, darling." The ginger said winking at the blonde waitress.

The blonde woman blushed slightly and returned to her duties.

"Uh…Artz, do you…" Sam started cautiously.

"Do I what, Sammy?" Artimes asked smiling, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Swing for the other team?" Dean suggested.

The crimson haired woman simply smiled like the Cheshire cat. She got up and walked over to the bar, chatting up with a few of the waitresses and leaving the boys to wonder the answer to their questions. Lucy finally returned and she, Jamie, and Artimes became deeply involved with their conversation. Dean walked over to the trio of girls and attempted to hook up with Jamie again. Artimes shook her head at him then became distracted when the blonde woman mentioned a girls' night with Lucy.

"You're welcome to come too, Artz. If that's alright with you, Jamie?" Lucy invited surprising the ginger haired woman.

"That'd be wonderful. Of course she can come." Jamie consented before smirking at the elder Winchester, "Besides, no self-respecting bar wench lets herself get picked up by a customer on the first try."

Lucy smiled and started whispering all sorts of things into the ginger's ear, making the red head giggle conspiratorially. Before Dean had a chance to leave, Artimes asked Jamie out on a date. The elder Winchester was gob smacked when the blonde said yes on the first try then the ginger proceeded to ask Lucy out as well, who also said yes. The crimson haired woman smirked at the stunned blonde, causing both Lucy and Jamie to laugh at his shocked expression. All three women descended into laughter and Dean walked away, muttering about how he was upstaged by his own best friend and that life was a cruel bitch.

* * *

Surprisingly, Artimes had a blast with Lucy and Jamie. It was strange having girl time with a shape shifter, but she didn't let it spoil the moment of normalcy. She realized that she desperately needed a female friend because she spent way too much time with the opposite sex…which might actually be unhealthy, come to think of it. She rejoined the boys at the bar the next day, a big smile on her face.

"Hey, you think this Dracula could turn into a bat? That would be cool." Dean commented.

"You're such a child sometimes, Dean." Artimes interjected sitting down next to the elder Winchester.

"Where have you been?" Sam asked.

"Went on a date with Lucy and Jamie. Why? Something interesting happen?" She answered cheekily, grinning when Dean scowled at her.

The younger Winchester slid a picture across the table to her. The man's name was apparently Rick Deacon and it was the same man who had tried to feel her up while she had been sitting at the bar the other night. Her smile fell as the memory flashed through her thoughts.

"Artz, what is it?" Dean asked placing his hand on her leg when he noticed the change in her demeanor.

The blonde's touch didn't bother her, if anything, it comforted her and made her feel safe.

"This was the guy that tried to feel me up yesterday while I was talking to Lucy." The red head admitted placing her hand over the one the blonde had on her leg.

"Wait, someone tried to accost you and you're only just now telling us about it?" Sam asked upset.

"What? He was drunk and Lucy shoved his butt out the door and he didn't accost me, Sam. Quit blowing it out of proportions." Artimes answered shrugging it off and entwining her fingers with the elder Winchester's absentmindedly.

The brunette looked to his brother for help and the blonde mouthed the word 'skirt'. The younger Winchester swore a long list of curses inside his mind. It had been his idea for her to wear the skirt, but she had blamed Dean for it. Heaven forbid, she ever learned the truth because he doubted that he would survive her wrath and the only reason why Dean could get away with it was because he knew exactly what to say to appease her; 'Wanna drive?'. The ginger was head over heels in love with the Impala and probably loved the car more than them.

"So you really think it's a shape shifter?" The brunette asked getting himself back on track.

"Yep. Season Four, Episode Five: Monster Movie and yes, I have a pretty good idea who the shifter is, but given that this is a parallel reality, I am acting only on information I know to absolutely true. For all I know, the shifter is someone entirely different here." The ginger answered.

"You can tell us your suspicions, right?" Dean asked looking at her expectantly.

"Artimes!" Lucy called.

The red head looked over at the dark haired woman. Lucy waved her over and she beamed in response.

"Sorry, boys. Gotta rocket." She said hastily, getting up from the table and following Lucy out back.

* * *

Artimes waited for Lucy to show up. She was standing outside the bar and had been waiting for some time. She glanced through the window, her bag hanging off a chair just within the door, and then shook her head slightly as Jamie was cleaning up tables. Somehow the blonde got landed with a double shift and had to cancel the date Dean had wrangled out of her. She kind of felt sorry for the elder Winchester because he had no clue that the blonde waitress had to cancel.

"Come on, Lucy. It's kind of nippy out here." The ginger muttered and walked away a few steps.

She was tempted to start pacing because she was kind of cold. She knew the boys were at the museum. Maybe she should head over there and meet up with them since it looked like Jamie wasn't going to be kidnapped by Dracula tonight. The red head stiffened and stopped walking when she heard something move behind her. She whirled around and her mouth fell open when she saw Dracula standing behind her.

"Good evening." He said almost charmingly.

She bolted without a second of hesitation, but he followed after her. She couldn't believe this was happening. Why the hell was he chasing after her? It was meant to be Jamie, not her!

"I have watched you for some time. My passion knows no bounds, Mina!" Dracula exclaimed stalking towards her.

She had left her bag back at the bar which meant that she did not have her gun with her, but she did have a small can of pepper spray hidden up her right sleeve in case of emergencies; the boys had insisted…good thing too. She shook down the can as he came closer.

"You are the reincarnation of my beloved and I must have you." He declared reaching for her.

"Not today." She replied as the can fell into her hand.

She brought it up and sprayed him in the face. She turned and bolted away again as the iconic vampire cursed loudly. He began to chase after her again and the ginger searched frantically for a way out. She was so distracted that she ran into someone, their arms wrapping around her instantly. Oddly enough, she wasn't frightened and the person smelled an awful lot like cheap motel soap, the scent calming her immensely. She soon realized that she was in the elder Winchester's arms.

"Son of a bitch." Dean stated stunned when looked at the iconic vampire.

"You should not use such language in front of my bride." Dracula scolded completely serious.

"Okay." The blonde replied before pushing the ginger behind him.

He then punched the iconic vampire and thus began their ridiculous fight. Artimes watched on in confusion, annoyance, and a little anger. She still had no clue why this event had happened to her instead of to Jamie. It should have been the blonde waitress, it really should have. What the hell has she done? How did this change things? Has she just mucked everything up?

"Artz, run!" Dean commanded.

Artimes simply crossed her arms across her chest and just stood there, looking extremely pissed.

"You have no choice in the matter, Mr. Harker. Mina is mine." Dracula declared.

The iconic vampire tried to bite the elder Winchester, but the blonde ripped Dracula's ear off instead. The iconic vampire fled and Dean gave chase. Dracula leapt over a gate and escaped on a moped. How anti-climatic was that?

* * *

Lady A: There you have it! Chapter Eleven: Twisting Paths is over and done with it! Rather exciting chapter, don't you think? *giggles* I had so much fun writing up this episode. The next chapter is really awesome because Monster Movie comes to a close and some stuff happens. *grins like a mad woman* Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Twelve: Beauty and the Beast! Stay tuned!


	12. Chapter 12: Beauty and the Beast

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Chosen! This is the chapter where we wrap up the episode Monster Movie! So exciting! Much love to all those who faved, followed and reviewed this story and major kudos to those who faved, followed, and reviewed my other works as well! Don't forget to check out my newest fic, Soul of the Doctor.

* * *

Brief Recap: Artimes spends time with Jamie and Lucy, getting some much deserved girl time which is a rarity for our resident Supernatural expert. The ginger was hit on by Rick Deacon who later was found dead, killed by the shifter. Then Artimes got chased by an iconic vampire named Dracula, who kept calling her Mina.

Looking Forward: Artimes follows the script to a tee and discovers a few things about Dean. Artimes and Dean are then kidnapped by Dracula and the ginger haired woman has a nice conversation with the shape shifter. In the end, the shifter dies and Dean makes out with Jamie while Artimes and Sam have their own conversation.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Beauty and the Beast

* * *

Supernatural expert, Artimes Blaine, and seasoned hunter, Dean Winchester, sat a table in the bar. Artimes had reacquired her bag and was currently fuming with her arms and legs crossed. The elder Winchester tried everything he could think of to get her to calm down, but it only seemed to piss her off more. Sam rushed into the bar and quickly walked over to them, taking in the rather tense atmosphere.

"You guys alright?" He asked taking a seat.

"An iconic and cinematically historical vampire just tried to make me his bride tonight. No, I am not alright!" Artimes snapped hotly, her sapphire eyes blazing.

"She's pissed obviously and she was right. It's a shape shifter." Dean explained trying to move things along before the ginger lost her temper completely.

The boys had never really seen her truly angry and they were kind of hesitant about inciting such anger because she was scary enough as was on a good day.

"How can you tell?" Sam asked.

"He pulled off Dracula's ear. Skin of a shape shifter." Artimes interjected still very hostile.

"I also pulled this off during the fight. Look at the label on the ribbon." The elder Winchester continued despite her interruption.

The younger Winchester turned the ribbon over and looked at the back. The label read 'The FX Shop Prop house Philadelphia, PA'.

"It's a costume rental." The brunette commented.

"All three monsters – Dracula, Wolf Man, and the mummy – all the same critter, which means we need to catch this freak before he 'Creature from the Black Lagoons' somebody." Dean finished.

"What I want to know is why did it change?" Artimes asked making both brothers look at her in confusion.

"What change?" Sam asked.

"The events of the show. Everything thus far has been almost exactly the same with only minor deviations to account for my presence in the time line, but this…this changed dramatically. It was not me that was meant to be chased by Dracula tonight; it was supposed to be Jamie. For some unknown reason, she got saddled with a double shift and clean-up duty and I was the one outside. Somehow, some way, my presence has altered what was supposed to happen here. Everything's up in the air now." She answered upset and confused by what was happening.

"That's why you're so pissed. You don't know if you royally fucked up something or not." The elder Winchester concluded.

"Exactly. For all I know, by me altering events, I could wind up getting you two killed or worse." She replied uncrossing her limbs and staring at the table.

"Perhaps not. Maybe you simply placed Jamie in the sequence of events. Did everything that happened to Jamie, happen to you?" Sam asked trying to help her.

Her head snapped up and her sapphire eyes took on a calculating look. Her eyes widened before she literally face palmed.

"I'm guessing that's a yes." Sam deduced.

"He called me Mina. He actually called me Mina. Fuck my life." She grumbled clearly not happy.

She hadn't intended for the shape shifter to latch onto her from simply hanging out with her…him…whatever. Damn her curiosity!

"Mina?" The brunette echoed.

"Yeah. That's what he called Artz and he called me Mr. Harker." The blonde elaborated.

"Jonathan Harker? They're characters from the movies and the novels. Mina, Dracula's intended bride and Harker, the fiancé that stands in the way. Seems like he's fixating on you…like he sees you as his bride." Sam explained.

"Tell me something I don't know, Sherlock?" Artimes snapped more than a little angry with herself for mucking up the time line and now she was pretty much playing the part of a damsel in distress.

God, she hated being a damsel in distress! It was demeaning and shameful and definitely not her. She may run, but that was only to give her time to think of a plan or find the boys so they could be back up for her just in case. She was capable of handling herself just fine. This whole situation was so stupid and she was tired, frustrated, and upset. Not exactly the best mix for an ongoing hunt.

"But to fixate on you, my guess is that the shifter has to have seen you before or been around you." Sam continued making the red head roll her eyes.

"Has anyone taken a specific notice of you?" Dean asked.

She gave him a look that pretty much said that she wanted to slap him for asking such an obtuse and obvious question.

"I don't know, Dean. It's Oktoberfest. The time of booze and lechery and somebody thought it was a good idea to stick me in a skirt, Sammy." She answered looking directly at the younger Winchester who smiled nervously at her, "Let's go through the list, shall we? Jamie, Lucy, Dishwasher Dave, Sheriff Dietrich, Rick Deacon, Ed Brewer…shall I go on?"

"Ed? I wonder where he lives." Sam queried.

"He works at the old movie theater. He's the projectionist there." Artimes answered already knowing what the brunette would do.

"Take care of Mina?" The younger Winchester requested of his brother, getting up to leave.

"Yep." Dean replied as Sam left quickly.

Silence reigned for a minute before the blonde spoke up.

"It's not Ed, is it?" He asked.

"Nope." She answered popping the 'p'.

They continued to sit in silence until once again, Dean spoke up.

"So what do we do?" He asked looking over at her.

The ginger smirked at him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"We make out." She answered matter of factually.

The elder Winchester's face went blank from shock, totally unprepared for what she had just suggested. His mouth ran dry as his heart picked up speed, just thinking about how the ginger's lips would feel against his own.

"What?" Dean asked trying to get his brain to work again.

"It's what you and Jamie were supposed to do in the show and if I'm replacing her like Sammy thinks I am then I'm going to follow the script to the letter." She answered with a no nonsense look on her face, "Got a problem with that, sunshine?"

Dean swallowed hard and shook his head, not against the idea in the slightest.

"Not at all. Need to get things back on track, right?" He replied.

The two scooted closer together and she blushed slightly at how close they were. She pushed aside her usual timid behavior and slid her fingers through his short hair. It was remarkable soft considering the guy only used cheap hotel shampoo. He leaned in slowly, careful not to make her too nervous, and kissed her softly. The two allowed their curiosity to deepen the kiss and it wasn't long until they were fully making out.

Dean wrapped his arms around her, pressing her firmly against him. The heat was building up inside of her and she actually moaned into his mouth. He seemed to like it when she did that because his hands reached down to cup her back side and he pulled her completely onto his lap. She gasped when she felt his erection press against her womanhood. He took advantage of her mouth being open to deepen the kiss even further, exploring with his tongue.

The lights suddenly came on and Artimes quickly scrambled to get back to her seat, blushing deeply and very flustered. The pair took notice of Lucy, who seemed rather embarrassed for disturbing them.

"Holy crap! Oh my God, Artimes. Guys, I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here." The brunette woman apologized hastily.

"Lucy, it's…it's okay. Uh…listen." Artimes started trying to get her heart rate to go down and for her body to cool off.

"You know what? I just…I came to borrow a bottle. I kind of got something back at my…Anyway…uh…you guys look really busy, so I'm just gonna get out of your hair." Lucy rambled trying to make a hasty retreat.

"No, seriously Lucy. It's been a crazy night. Stay for a drink." Artimes countered.

She was going to stick to the script like super glue. She couldn't afford to make a mistake now.

"Yeah, stay for a drink." Dean insisted his voice kind of gruff from their earlier activities.

It sent shivers down the ginger's spine and the heat inside of her reignited. Dean believed that Artimes knew what she was doing, but he, personally, wanted to continue where they left off. Not only had he not felt that comfortable with a woman in years, it had also felt so completely right and to be frank, he was hooked like junkie in that moment.

* * *

Dean, Artimes and Lucy were all sitting together at a table, drinking. The ginger had just filled in the dark haired woman about what had happened earlier that night with Dracula.

"Oh, that sounds awful. Artimes, honey, are you okay?" Lucy asked worried.

"I'm fine. He didn't even touch me. Dean just flew right in and fought him off." Artimes answered smiling.

"Well, I didn't actually fly, but I'm sure it seemed that way at the time." Dean commented trying to play it off.

Lucy blotted her lipstick on a napkin.

"It was really, really something." Artimes replied her vision beginning to swim.

Her world went dark and she realized, rather belatedly, that she had been drugged.

* * *

Artimes awoke slowly, her head becoming clearer and the fog lifting from her vision.

"You wake." Dracula stated drawing her attention instantly.

He gestured to a white satin dress hanging by the bed as she sat up.

"The gown. It suits your beauty. Please put it on." He requested.

"What have you done with Dean?" Artimes asked feeling the bile rise up in her mouth from having to play the damsel in distress.

"Harker is resting elsewhere. Please, put on the gown and you may dine. We are having pizza." Dracula answered making her smile slightly.

What kind of monster orders pizza as a romantic dinner? Someone she could actually like which was a crying shame.

"Is Lucy just made up then? You just pretended to be my friend?" She questioned.

Come to think of it, she was actually a little upset about that because she had honestly liked Lucy or at least, Lucy's supposed character. Her eyes watered a bit, trying not to think about the few moments where she was happy with the shifter. It would make what she and the brothers had to do even harder for her. Dracula sat on the bed next to her and wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes.

"I needed to know if you were the one." He stated softly, almost apologetic.

"But what about Jamie?" The ginger asked.

"She could never be my bride for that is you and you alone. Now please, put on the gown. I promise not to look, my sweet Mina." He answered standing up and turning his back to her.

Artimes stood and dried her tears. Now was not the time for crying. She quickly changed from her suit into the stain gown, trying not groan in annoyance for being in a dress. She looked over at the vampire's turned back and decided to play a more sympathetic role rather than be the damsel in distress. She packed her clothes into her bag before speaking.

"This reminds me so much of a movie. I love movies. Would you mind if asked about…you know, where you come from. I'd like to understand the real you better." She requested.

"'Real' is being born this way, different. 'Real' is having your dad call you a 'monster'. It's the first time you hear the word and he tries to beat you to death with a shovel. Everywhere I ran, everywhere I tried to hide…people found me, dragged me out, attacked me, called me 'freak', called me 'monster'. Then I found them. The great monsters. In their movies, they were strong. They were beautiful and now I am like them. Commanding…terrifying…" He answered getting lost in his memories.

Through it all, she actually felt for the poor guy. To have gone through so much and gain so little in return, to never have known love or true happiness, drawing strength from the cinema and finding peace in the world of fantasy and imagination; echoes of her own past though she didn't become a murderer.

"Lonely." She stated sadly.

"Was lonely. Now I…I have you." He replied turning to face her.

"You ever thought that maybe you're lonely because you kill people?" The ginger asked.

"Or I kill people because I'm lonely." He retorted.

She walked over to the iconic vampire, a sad kind of curiosity in her eyes. She cupped the left side of his face with her right hand. He leaned into her touch, his hand coming up to cover hers.

"How is it that two people with similar pasts walk two different paths now?" She queried.

"Perhaps that was the way it was meant to be, my sweet Mina. You understand me more than any other, yet you temper my darkness with your light. You make me better." He answered gazing at her with such soft and warm eyes.

She was about to respond when there was the sound of something being knocked over in the next room. She jumped at the sound and moved closer to the shifter…for 'protection'.

"What was that? Am I safe?" She asked looking up at him with frightened eyes.

"Have no fear, my love. You are safe in my home. I shall go and investigate the disturbance. Do not leave your room until I have returned." Dracula answered ushering her to the bed and making her sit down.

"Please be careful." She requested as he stroked her right cheek with the back of his hand.

He smiled softly at her before leaving the room. She reached up and touched the cheek he had caressed, tears trying to force their where into her eyes. She squashed her feelings down as she checked her bag, sighing in relief when she felt that her gun was still in it. She placed the strap over her head and sat back down, waiting for the inevitable.

Sam walked in, relief washing over his face when he saw her. She raised an eyebrow as he started to cross the room, but before he could reach her, he was intercepted by Dracula and thrown into a wall. Artimes winced slightly, knowing that the brunette was going to being feeling that later.

"You will never be Van Helsing!" The iconic vampire yelled.

Dean rushed in and attacked Dracula, wearing an outfit she had only seen in the story of Hansel and Gretel.

"And you, Harker, now you die." The shifter threatened as the ginger moved out of the way so she wouldn't get hit by accident.

"How 'bout now you shut the hell up?" Dean retorted.

The elder Winchester was thrown to the ground hard. Artimes pulled out her gun as Dracula raised his arms to go in for the kill. She aimed the gun at the shifter's chest, her eyes already beginning to tear up. She pulled the trigger and the bullet fired directly into its intended target.

"Silver?" Dracula asked.

The iconic vampire turned to see the crimson haired woman holding the gun, her eyes glistening with tears. The shifter's eyes softened in understanding.

"It was beauty that killed the beast." He started but paused when the tears began to flow down her face, "No, Mina, do not weep."

He fell into a chair, his breathing heavy and ragged.

"Perhaps this is how the movie should end." He said softly, sending her a kind and grateful look.

She smiled slightly, a parting gift to the monster whose past was so similar to her own. The shifter breathed his last breath and died in the chair, the hunters being the only ones to see him go.

* * *

Artimes and Sam were standing in the town square, waiting for Dean to finish his little make out scene with Jamie. The red head barely noticed it because her mind was dragging up the memories of her own make out session with the elder Winchester. She had no idea what had possessed her to kiss him so passionately, let alone getting on his lap like that. It brought up a lot of questions for her like where she and Dean stood now. Would he just brush it off as if it was nothing? Or was there something more there and she didn't realize it yet?

Sure, she flirted with Dean, but it was an innocent flirting that two friends would do, right? Did she like him in that way or was it just the heat of the moment and her emotions running too high because of the altered time line? She knew one thing for certain. If they had not been interrupted by the shape shifter when they had, they would have gone a lot further than just kissing. She just knew it.

"I can't help but notice that you're a little distracted. Thinking about the shifter?" Sam piped up, disrupting her rather naughty train of thought.

With the younger Winchester mentioning the shape shifter, her eyes became very sad.

"His past was similar to my own, Sammy. He never knew true happiness and drew strength from the cinema like I did. People called me a freak, an anomaly, and downright weird. Hell, they even called me crazy. I never fit in back there. I don't think I ever could have. I feel more at home here than I ever did back in the other world. Sure, there's danger, monsters, and things that go bump in the night, but I've never felt more alive, more like myself. I was always out of step with the rest of the world, but here I'm not. Is it selfish of me to want to stay here forever?" She replied looking up at him.

"No, it's not selfish at all. It sounds like you've come home." Sam responded smiling softly at her.

She smiled back at him, a new level of understanding and friendship passing between them. Dean finally relinquished the monopoly he had on Jamie's lips and said goodbye, quickly joining the pair.

"You done sucking her face off?" Artimes asked smirking.

"Yeah, it was mediocre at best. Too much tongue, not enough feeling." He answered shrugging nonchalantly.

"I liked her." Sam commented.

"Feels good to be back on the job, doesn't it?" The elder Winchester asked changing subjects very quickly.

He grabbed the ginger's hand, much to her surprise, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. It was like he didn't even notice that he had done it in the first place.

"Yeah, it does." Sam answered his eyes sparking with curiosity about his brother's odd behavior.

"The hero gets the girl, monster gets the gank. All in all, happing ending…with a happy ending, no less." Dean stated happily, keeping a firm hold on the red head's hand.

"Not for everyone." Artimes whispered quietly, her thoughts returning to the shape shifter.

"Real classy, Dean." The younger Winchester commented noticing the sadness in her eyes.

Sam wished there was something he could say or do to help her, but Artimes was always so kind…even to the monsters. There was nothing he could do to change that, but he was glad that she had such a pure heart because it was that heart that kept them together.

"Hey, all I'm saying is the shifter man had a point, you know? It would be nice if life was movie simple. Although, if I was turning life into a movie, I wouldn't do this Abbott and Costello meet the monster crap." The blonde replied.

"Yeah, no. We know what you'd pick." Sam responded smiling slightly.

"No, you don't." Dean replied not believing his younger sibling.

"Yes, we do." Artimes countered enjoying the feeling of the blonde's hand in her own.

"No, you don't. Neither one of you. You don't!" He retorted.

The brunette and the red head looked at each other a moment then at the elder Winchester.

"Porky's II." They said in unison, like it was completely obvious.

"What?" The blonde asked incredulous.

"You heard us." The younger Winchester replied smirking at his brother, basically daring him to say otherwise.

Dean conceded defeat, pouting slightly.

"Lucky guess." He stated put out.

Sam and Artimes laughed all the way back to the Impala. The trio of hunters climbed in with smiles on their faces. They were off looking for their next case, but little did the Winchesters know that their next adventure could spell death for the one thing they held most dear.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter Twelve: Beauty and the Beast is complete! Coming up next will be the beginning of my first OC arc, completely original work. Not to worry, dearies, it's all written out. Just has to be typed up. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Thirteen: A Day in Death! Stay tuned!


	13. Chapter 13: A Day in Death

Lady A: Hey everyone and welcome back to Chosen! I do apologize for the long wait but I kept being distracted by all my Doctor Who stories. They just kept calling me and calling me and calling me. Well at last, I am free to type up a chapter for my Supernatural fic. Bout bloody time! To be honest, reading the newest chapter of Bright Eyes by Danni Fielding made me want to come back to my Supernatural fic again because I was seriously getting bored with my Doctor Who fics which is a very bad thing, but alas it helped come back to this lovely story and oops, I think I'm rambling. Too much of the Tenth Doctor recently so yeah.

Anyways, much thanks and love to all those who faved, followed, and reviewed this story and all my other ones as well! You guys are the greatest! I'll be employing the 'Sneak Preview' thing that I do for my Doctor Who stories here as well, so no more 'Looking Forwards'.

* * *

Brief Recap: The Winchesters finally finished up the case that had brought them to Pennsylvania and the trio of hunters had ended it on a pretty high note which is a rarity for them.

Now enough of me talking your ears off! On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: A Day in Death

* * *

Artimes and Sam were currently in a shopping mart, talking and joking around. The elder Winchester had sent them to buy up some supplies and to do a pie run. Dean just had to have some pie and the ginger haired woman was all for it because that meant she got to have some pie too.

"Come on, Sammy. Waiting for a couple of pies to get finished baking isn't all that bad." Artimes teased smiling brightly.

The younger Winchester shook his head, smiling as well before chuckling.

"It is when my brother and your best friend is calling every five minutes wondering where his pie is." The brunette retorted silencing his phone once again before returning it to his jacket pocket.

'Artimes.' A man's voice whispered garnering the red head's attention almost instantly.

That was weird…like really weird. She looked around for the owner of the voice but it was just Sam, the cashier lady, and herself.

"Did you hear that?" The ginger asked very confused.

"Hear what?" The younger Winchester countered smiling at the blonde haired woman behind the counter that had just handed him the first pie, "Thank you."

The red head's pie had gotten done first and now they were just waiting for Dean's to get finished which was in a couple of minutes.

"I thought I heard someone call my name." Artimes said her brows furrowing slightly.

"Well, I didn't hear anything. Must have been your imagination." He replied trying not to drop the still very warm pie.

The crimson haired woman pulled a face at him that said if he dropped that pie, he was going to regret it.

'Don't go outside.' The voice spoke again, causing the ginger's face to go blank.

She looked around again, but just like before, there wasn't anyone else in the mart. She shoved off the counter she had been leaning against and walked down one of the aisles, determined to figure out what was going on. She pretended to browse as she took stock of the situation. She was definitely hearing a voice, but as to who that voice belonged to, she didn't know.

What she did know was that it sounded familiar to her…like she should know that voice but her brain didn't seem capable of pinpointing exactly where or when she had heard that voice before. She knew it wasn't a ghost because there was no flickering lights, no drops in temperatures, and she had pulled out the small EMF reader she carried with her in her bag and there was no readings coming from it either. She placed it back in her bag and just decided to go with the direct approach; asking what he wanted.

"Why?" She whispered glancing briefly over her shoulder to make certain that the younger Winchester couldn't hear her talking to herself.

It was bad enough when the boys caught her talking to herself when she sorted out her story ideas, but it was another thing entirely to be answering a voice only she could hear and just a tiny bit insane. Bring on the white padded cell and the strait jacket because she was about to get an answer.

'You will die.' The voice answered making her eyes go wide and she swallowed hard as her fear began to rise.

"Why warn me?" She asked a little louder than she wanted to, her body tensing slightly from the increased adrenaline brought on by her fear.

'You must not die now. It is not your time. Much of what is to come will not happen if you die here and now.' The voice explained.

She paled slightly, starting to tremble a little. She didn't know what to do, but the voice seemed rather insistent that she didn't leave. Was it some sort of trick or maybe a trap? Was the voice trying to separate her from the Winchesters or was he genuine in wanting to keep her safe and alive? Should she trust the voice that seemed so familiar to her and only she could hear or should she go outside and risk everything? Would it surprise anyone that she was more inclined to listen to the mysterious voice and heed his warning than run the risk of being killed and forever torn away from the Winchester brothers?

"Artz!" Sam called disrupting her thoughts, "Pie's done. Let's go."

The younger Winchester walked over to her and grabbed her hand with his free one, pulling her back up the aisle and towards the door.

"Uh…Sam, I don't think I should go outside." Artimes warned her instincts going berserk and telling her not to leave the store.

"What? You're not afraid of getting wet, are you?" He teased gesturing to the dull gray clouds overhead and the fact that she was wearing a white shirt.

He pulled her with him and she started to pull out of his grasp. He grabbed a hold of her arm and refused to let go.

"Artz, we don't have time for this. Dean's waiting for us to get back." Sam stated pulling her towards the door again.

"No, Sam…please." She begged her fear sky rocketing through the roof.

'Do not leave! You will die! Turn back, Artimes! You must turn back now!' The voice warned desperation in his voice.

She could not heed the voice because the younger Winchester pulled her out of the store. He let her go once they were about half way across the street, the Impala being parked on the other side. Sam went to the car and placed the pies in the back with the rest of the supplies.

"See? Nothing bad happened." The brunette stated just before there was a loud bang.

His head whipped around until his gaze fell upon the crimson haired woman. His eyes widened as his heart froze, his throat constricting as he stopped breathing. Artimes stood in the middle of the road, her once white shirt beginning to turn red with blood. She looked at him with tear filled eyes, the fear and panic fading as they closed. She fell backwards, almost like in slow motion, and onto the asphalt with a thud.

"Artz!" Sam shouted finding his voice once more.

* * *

Dean was at the hotel room that the trio of hunters shared, pacing a bit. He was waiting for his younger brother and his ginger haired friend to return with his pie. A bad feeling was gnawing away at his gut and it wasn't caused by hunger. Something was wrong, very wrong…he could feel it in the air. The entire atmosphere was extremely tense, almost to the point of being suffocating, and it felt like a deep pressure was weighing him down. Something had to give and it was going to be soon. He could just feel it and he didn't like what he was feeling in the slightest.

He stopped pacing when he heard the very recognizable sound of fluttering wings. He looked over as the dark haired, trench coat wearing angel named Castiel appeared, an almost desperate look on his face.

"Hello Dean." The angel greeted looking around the room for something or maybe someone, "Where is Artimes and Sam?"

"Supply run. Cas, what's going on?" The elder Winchester asked picking up on the sense of urgency in the dark haired angel's voice.

"Alistair's lieutenant is on the move." Castiel informed making a dark look flash across the blonde's face, "My sources have told me that he is targeting Artimes."

Dean's faced morphed from the dark look of anger and hatred to afraid and slightly shocked.

"What? Why's he going after Artz? Does it have to do with me?" The elder Winchester demanded.

"Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with you. Alistair considers her to be the greater threat. As to why that is, I don't know yet. What I do know is that the attack is imminent and she needs to be protected." The angel answered quickly.

Dean nodded and went to pick up his phone, but stopped when Castiel clutched his chest, his face scrunched up in pain and nearly doubling over.

"Cas!" The blonde yelled running over to the dark haired angel and getting him back to an upright position, "What happened? You alright?"

"It's not me. It's her. She's hurt…badly. I need to go." Castiel informed before disappearing with a fluttering of wings.

"Damn it, Cas!" The elder Winchester yelled in outrage.

A few moments later, the trench coat wearing angel reappeared in the hotel room with the crimson haired woman in his arms. The blonde moved out of the way so that dark haired angel could lay the ginger down on the bed.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked becoming increasingly more worried at how pale the red head was.

"Driving." Castiel answered, "I've already healed her wound, but there's something inside of her that I can't heal."

Dean opened his mouth to ask when the younger Winchester barged in at that moment. He was out of breath and had blood on his shirt…_Artimes's blood_. The elder Winchester looked back over at the dark haired angel, wanting answers.

"And? What is it that an angel like you can't heal, Cas?" The blonde demanded his eyes blazing.

"The bullet that struck her was laced with an ancient poison, one that has not been seen or used in over a thousand years. It's a toxin derived from the sap of the Judas tree." Castiel started as the brothers took up places next to the unconscious red head.

Sam was on the bed, checking her wrist for a pulse and Dean was on her left side, brushing her hair out of her face and not liking how cold her skin felt.

"Wait, Judas? Like Judas Iscariot?" Sam asked in disbelief and mild shock.

"The dude that betrayed Jesus?" The elder Winchester asked his face scrunching up in confusion.

"The sap which the poison is made from came from the very tree that Judas used to hang himself back in ancient times." The angel answered his tone completely serious.

"Well there has to be some type of cure, an antidote, something that can help her, right?" The blonde demanded his eyes hopeful.

"There isn't. There is no cure for the Judas toxin. The tree carried all the darkness and sin of the man who used it to die, making it impossible for it to be reversed. It's fatal, Dean, but by healing her body, I managed to slow it down…give her a little extra time." Castiel replied his eyes holding a deep sadness.

Dean stood up angrily and walked over to the dark haired, trench coat wearing angel, a look of rage and desperation on his face.

"Listen to me, you winged son of bitch. If there is one thing I believe in…it's not angels, it's not God…it's _her_. If anyone can beat impossible odds then it's Artz, so get that halo out of your ass and do something!" The elder Winchester commanded fiercely, his eyes burning with determination and a strength that had never made sense to the dark haired angel.

Castiel glanced over at the unconscious red head that was fighting for her life. He remembered that night they had spent together, how her eyes were alight with curiosity and wonder and something stirred deep within the dark haired angel. It was the desire to do whatever was necessary to save her life, even if it cost him his own. He looked back at the elder Winchester, his blue eyes burning with his own kind of strength.

"I'll look into it." He replied before vanishing with a fluttering of wings.

Dean walked back over to the bed and sat down next to the crimson haired woman. He took her left hand in both of his and marveled at how soft her hands were in comparison to his own. Such a normal thought in such a tense situation, it nearly broke his control over his deeper emotions, but he held it together.

"Dean…I'm sorry. It's all my fault." Sam stated his eyes drowning in guilt.

The elder Winchester looked over at his younger brother in confusion.

"What are you talking about, Sammy? Cas said that there was a demon after her. That wasn't your fault." He countered trying to keep his voice level and not reveal his inner turmoil.

"Dean, she knew. I don't how she knew, but she said that she shouldn't go outside. I thought she was just playing around, forcing you to wait for your pie. She tried to stop me from pulling her out of the store, Dean. I didn't realize how scared she was, how frightened she had looked…I should've listened, I should've noticed…" The brunette trailed off, his head hanging in guilt and sorrow.

The elder sibling watched as a few tear drops fell from his brother's downward face, his heart aching at how torn up his younger sibling was about this. He looked over at Artimes, wondering how she could have possibly known she was in danger, then back at his younger brother.

"How? How did she know? Did she say or do anything out of the ordinary?" Dean asked.

"Um…" Sam started raising his head before running a hand down his face to discreetly wipe away his tears, "She thought she heard someone call out her name, but I didn't hear anything. Uh…she walked down one of the aisles, whispering to herself. I heard her say 'Why warn me?' like she was talking to someone. I didn't pay it any mind at the time because you know how she gets when she's working out her stories. I just thought it was her doing her normal thing."

The elder Winchester frowned as he tried to come up with a possible explanation.

"Maybe someone contacted her like mentally or something. I don't know…some sort of telepath, maybe? Someone was trying to protect her, to save her life, but who? Who could convince Artimes do something so easily? It had to be someone she knew or had seen in that show of hers to get her to listen to it and trust it." The blonde replied.

"I don't know. Maybe." The brunette said quietly.

The elder Winchester looked over at his younger brother again, seeing the guilt swirling in his eyes. Sam was blaming himself pretty damn hard for the ginger being attacked and poisoned. He glanced at the red head, wondering what she would say or do in this situation.

"It's not your fault, Sammy." Dean stated softly, looking at his brother again, "You had no way of knowing that a demon was after her. Hell, Cas only showed up like thirty seconds before it actually happened. This was something we couldn't stop. Besides, she would cheerfully beat you to death if she found out that you were blaming yourself."

The younger Winchester let out a watery chuckle, a brief smile appearing on his face.

"She'll be okay, right Dean?" The brunette asked looking up at his older brother with hopeful eyes.

"I don't know, Sammy. I honestly don't know, but if anyone can beat this thing, it's her." Dean answered honestly, looking back at the red haired woman.

The Winchester brothers sat in silence, keeping vigil over the crimson haired woman that had bypassed all their defenses and wormed her way into their hearts. The only thing they could do was wait and hope that a certain dark haired angel could find a way to save the woman the brothers cared so much for.

* * *

Lady A: Voila! Chapter Thirteen: A Day in Death is over and done with! Yeah, I know you hate me for leaving it like that, but hey, at least you'll come back and read the next chapter to find out what happens, yeah? Leave tons and tons of reviews on be on the lookout for Chapter Fourteen: Crossroads of Life! Stay Tuned!

* * *

_Sneak Preview_

* * *

"_Well if it is a poison then it must have some kind of antidote, a cure, or an anti-toxin of some kind." Artimes postulated trying to get her head around what was happening to her._

"_You're not exactly a genius in medicinal applications, dearie, and being as you are the one inflicted with said poison, there's not much you can do about it, now can you?" Another voice spoke up from behind her._

_Oh, you had to be kidding her! She knew that voice like it was the back of her hand. Who wouldn't know that voice? She turned around and caught sight of the one person she thought she would never see in the world of Supernatural._

* * *

Lady A: Oh dear, I just sort of left it off without revealing who was appearing in the next chapter, didn't I? What a shame? You'll just have to read the next chapter and found out for yourself…dearies. *smirks evilly, her eyes glinting with a wicked amusement* See you there.


	14. Chapter 14: Crossroads of Life

Lady A: Hey there all you Ladies and Gents and welcome back to Chosen! Yeah, I know that quite a few of you want to kill me after that last chapter. Not really surprising, because I wrote it that way. *grins evilly* Not to worry, dearies, you won't be in suspense for that long and you are gonna love what happens in this chapter.

Much thanks and love to all those who faved, followed and reviewed this story and all of my other ones as well! Also, a big gold star and a batch of virtual cookies to Rya, who figured out who made the guest appearance in the preview!

* * *

Brief Recap: Artimes and Sam were doing a supply run at a local shopping mart. It was just an ordinary, quiet day…that is, until the ginger started to talking to a mysterious voice in her head. The voice had been trying to warn her, to save her, but she couldn't convince Sam that something was wrong. Our favorite Supernatural expert winds up being shot by a demon and was infected by an ancient poison called the Judas toxin.

Castiel showed up, retrieving the ginger and returning her to the hotel room. He filled in the brothers on what was happening to her then left to try and find a way to save the crimson haired woman. The boys could do nothing more than wait and hope beyond all hope that she could be saved.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Crossroads of Life

* * *

"_Uh…Sam, I don't think I should go outside."_

"_What? You're not afraid of getting wet, are you?"_

"_Artz, we don't have time for this. Dean's waiting for us to get back."_

"_No, Sam…please."_

'_Do not leave! You will die! Turn back, Artimes! You must turn back now!'_

"_See? Nothing bad happened."_

"_Artz!"_

Artimes awoke harshly, jerking upright in her seat. She looked around and discovered she was in the Impala, front passenger seat to be precise which was a rarity for her. She always sat in the back seat while the boys were up front, not that she minded, of course. She glanced to her left and saw that the elder Winchester was in the driver's seat. His eyes were on the road ahead of him and Sam was nowhere to be seen. What the heck was going on?

"Dean, where's Sam? We were at the shopping mart and there was this voice in my head that kept telling me not to go outside. Sam dragged me out anyways and oh my God, I think I was shot!" Artimes rambled not caring how much of a lunatic she sounded like at that moment.

She looked down at her shirt and discovered that it was in its original pristine condition, no signs or traces that it had ever been stained with blood. She didn't understand what was going. She was confused, frustrated, and very close to panicking.

"You were shot, Artz. You're dying." Dean replied softly, making her eyes snap back to him instantly.

"Dying?" She echoed not quite believing him, "So is this some sort of dream? My mind's way of coping with the shock? If that's the case then why are you here and not Sam?"

He exhaled loudly before glancing over at her briefly.

"Your head created this 'dream' as a way to keep you alive. I'm here because you want me to be here and I am the person you trust the most, the one most likely to be able to save you." He answered.

The ginger ran a hand over her face, trying to get over the shock of her supposed death induced 'dream'. She had to think about this rationally. This dream like state wasn't new to her because Sam had undergone something similar after he tried to slam shut the gates of Hell and he had to recover. She took some solace in the fact that dream or not, Dean was still with her. She felt like she could do anything so long as he was by her side.

"You're the embodiment of my will to live, to survive, but then who is the advocate for me dying, for giving up?" She replied.

"Me." A voice said from the back seat.

Artimes whipped her around and her jaw dropped open at who she saw. It was her! It was literally herself! What the hell?!

"Myself?! Why would I want me to convince me to die?!" She asked a shocked an incredulous look on her face as she pointed to her mirror image then at herself.

"To avoid the confusion this scenario presents, call me Night, and as for why, you already know the answer. You are the one person that degrades and belittles yourself the most. You're the queen of self-sabotage, always doubting yourself, always second guessing yourself, and never believing that you're important. Besides, contrary to popular belief, death is peaceful. You should try it." Night answered shrugging nonchalantly and not really selling the whole 'You should give up and die' spiel very well.

To be honest, Artimes found it to be incredibly odd that her mirror image wouldn't try harder. Was she that much of a pushover when it came to her own demise? Thinking about it, she would say no. She had promised herself that she would stay alive and survive anything just to stay with her boys, but also so that she would never hurt the elder Winchester again. So why wasn't Night trying harder to convince her to die? It didn't make any sense.

"But the voice said…" The ginger started but was cut off by her mirror image.

"The voice? Are you really going to trust the voice of someone you have never met?" Night interrupted giving her a pointed look.

Artimes picked up on what her mirror image didn't say. Night had said 'never met' not 'never seen' which would have been the more logical word choice for that sentence. Maybe she was just reading too much into it.

"Why not? That voice was trying to protect her, to save her life. That's gotta be worth something, right?" Dean countered.

Artimes frowned, remembering just how familiar that voice had been to her. She felt as if she should know that voice but her mind still wasn't pulling up the where or when of the origin of the voice.

"But I know that voice. I've heard it somewhere before. I just can't seem to remember who it belonged to." The ginger stated trying desperately to find the answer that she knew was in her brain somewhere.

"It doesn't matter now because you're still dying and there is nothing that can save you." Night replied rather solemnly.

"We all know that's not true. Artz is a Chosen, meaning she has an angel on speed dial." The elder Winchester countered.

Artimes's eyes widened as she realized what Dean was saying.

"Oh of course, he's right! Castiel can save me. He healed me before, he can do it again!" She concurred excitedly.

"That's the problem. He already has." Her mirror image replied her eyes completely serious.

The ginger's face morphed into one of shock, disbelief, and a small amount of panic.

"What? Then how can I still be dying if Cas already healed me? I should be fine, right?" She demanded looking over to the blonde for confirmation.

"Your condition is far worse than you know." Night stated clapping her hands with an audible smack.

The entire scene shifted in a blur and they were no longer in the Impala. They were now standing on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a rather large forest. A dense purple and black fog with flashes of lightning in it was slowly creeping along the forest in the far off distance.

"What is that?" Artimes asked as she watched the trees wither and disintegrate as the cloud touched them.

To be perfectly honest, it reminded her of the purple fog of the Dark Curse and how it had swept across the Enchanted Forest in the TV show, Once Upon A Time. It was a bit nerve wracking to watch it so slowly engulf the forest of her mind.

"That…" Night started pointing to the cloud, "…is how your mind is perceiving the poison that is currently spreading through your system like a disease. It's only a matter of time before it overtakes you completely then 'POP', no more Artimes."

Night made a popping sound with her mouth and an explosion like gesture with her hands. Artimes's mind raced to figure out how to combat this.

"Well if it is a poison then it must have some kind of antidote, a cure, or an anti-toxin of some kind." Artimes postulated trying to get her head around what was happening to her.

"You're not exactly a genius in medicinal applications, dearie, and being as you are the one inflicted with said poison, there's not much you can do about it, now can you?" Another voice spoke up from behind her.

Oh, you had to be kidding her! She knew that voice like it was the back of her hand. Who wouldn't know that voice? She turned around and caught sight of the one person she thought she would never see in the world of Supernatural. Standing before her was none other than Mr. Gold also known as Rumpelstiltskin, creator of the Dark Curse and one of her favorite characters from Once Upon A Time.

"I have to try, Rumple!" Artimes snapped becoming more emotional than she should.

"There's nothing to try, I'm afraid. Outside your little dream land, the world is still turning and your other senses are still registering audio input into your memories." Gold replied.

"Get to the point, you twisted little imp." The ginger countered crossing her arms.

"The poison in your system is known as the Judas toxin, an ancient poison derived from the sap of the Judas tree…the very same tree that Judas Iscariot hung himself from." Gold answered leaning slightly on his cane.

Artimes picked up on what he wasn't saying and it made her blood run cold.

"So what you're saying is that there is no cure, is there?" She asked her voice quiet, not really wanting the answer.

He gave her a sad smile and she felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"Precisely, dearie. Your precious boys have such faith in you. It's a shame really." Gold commented making her look at him in confusion.

"What's a shame?" She asked.

"That you have no faith in yourself." Gold answered his comment striking a very sensitive nerve for the ginger.

Artimes turned her back on him and looked out at the slow moving cloud of destruction. Was there really nothing she could do? Was this really how she was going to die? Tears began to build up in her eyes, not from hopelessness but from frustration. She couldn't honestly accept that she going to be taken out by something as stupid as an ancient poison.

Dean and Night watched on sadly as she continued to stare off at her impending demise, but it would seem that Mr. Gold was not quite done with her yet.

"I'll make a deal with you, dearie. I'll tell you who the voice belonged to, if…" He started pausing deliberately to get her attention.

She turned slowly back towards him, her eyes blazing.

"If…what?" She asked her tone cold and hard from her anger and frustration.

He smirked at her which just infuriated her all the more.

"If you take a leap of faith…right off that cliff." Gold proposed as he pointed to cliff behind her with his cane.

"Hell no! She won't give up that easily!" Dean shouted in anger, causing the ginger to flinch slightly.

Artimes looked over at her mirror image for an explanation as to why the elder Winchester would be so openly opposed to the idea.

"If you jump off that cliff, you die. Plain and simple. It's the same as giving up, I suppose." Night stated shrugging.

The ginger looked back at Gold, the gears beginning to turn in her mind at lightning speed. A lot of things about this entire situation was not adding up. She glanced at Dean, immediately deducing that he was the shape her power of will took. Night was playing devil's advocate and being the elder Winchester's exact opposite. Then there was Rumpelstiltskin, the one who held great knowledge but at a price.

Something clicked in her head as she realized that none of them were really pressuring her into dying. It was like they were pointing out all the facts, everything that she needed to know. Rumple had said to take a 'leap of faith' and he commented on how she lacked faith in herself. What if this wasn't a choice about living or dying? What if this was about whether or not she had faith in what she knew?

She looked back over at her mirror image, realizing that her doubts and fears were Night. Dean was her resolve, her determination, and the embodiment of her extremely stubborn will. Leaving her with the final piece of the puzzle, her knowledge which could be considered a double edged sword and taking the only form it could, Rumpelstiltskin.

"Deal." Artimes stated a smile on her face and her eyes alight with hope.

"Artz, you can't be serious!" Dean snapped in outrage.

She flinched, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

"It's okay, Dean. I'm not giving up, not by a long shot." She replied smiling softly at him before turning to look at Gold once more, "Who was the voice that spoke to me, Rumple? Who was it that tried to save me?"

Gold smiled at her, quite pleased that she had made the deal.

"Death." He answered simply.

"Come again." She stated slightly confused.

"It was Death himself, dearie." Gold clarified.

Her jaw dropped open as her mind flashed to the moments that Dean had met the fourth horseman of the apocalypse; when he got Death's ring and when he was bartering with Death to get Sam's soul out of the Cage. It was him. It had been Death that had tried to save her, but why would he do that? Why try and help her? It didn't make any sense, but at the same time, it didn't matter. He was the only one who could possibly help her at this point and she was going to hold on to the sliver of hope with everything she had.

"I held up my end of the bargain, dearie. Now it's your turn and do give my regards to Death, however…" Gold started before waving his hands around a bit in a flourished manner, "I do believe a costume change is in order."

Artimes was surrounded by a red cloud for a moment and then it faded. She was now dressed in all red, a dark red at that; long sleeved shirt that hung off the shoulders with a strap across each shoulder to hold it in place, a sleeveless leather jacket, pants that hugged her curves, and some sweet and very comfortable boots.

"Now you're ready for your big moment." Gold stated almost in the same tone he had used with Charming right after the whole ordeal with the dragon.

"Thanks, Rumple." She replied smiling, "You just couldn't resist showing off, could you?"

"You know me, dearie. I do so love my magic." He commented with that trademark smirk of his.

"Artz, are you sure about this? You jump, you die. That's it, game over." Dean questioned a look of worry and fear on his face.

She looked over at him, a soft smile on her face.

"I'll be fine, Dean. If anyone can help me, it's Death. He tried to help me once before, maybe he'll help me again." The ginger replied turning to face the cliff.

"And it could have been a one shot deal." The elder Winchester pointed out, trying to reason with her.

"You don't even know if Death is waiting for you down there and not just some run of the mill reaper. You're taking an awfully big risk with this." Night concurred with the blonde.

"In order to experience true joy in life, one has to live life dangerously. Either way you look at it, I'm dead. Besides…" Artimes started glancing back at the Dark One, "I always keep my word. That's my ninja way."

Gold sent her a small, encouraging smile and a nod of respect. She glanced at Dean one last time, memorizing his face and drawing strength from his presence. She then backed up a few steps and faced the cliff once more.

"Geronimo." She whispered taking a deep breath to calm herself.

Artimes then took off running and without thinking twice, she jumped off the cliff with her feet first and her hands raised in the air. Not once, did she doubt that she had made the right decision because it was about damn time that she believed in herself…just like Sam and Dean believed in her.

* * *

Lady A: Woohoo! Chapter Fourteen: Crossroads of Life is complete! Oh my God, so awesome! I had so much fun typing up this chapter! Having Rumple in it just made my day and I just couldn't resist having him use his magic at least once. So amazing! Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Fifteen: Saving Grace! Stay Tuned!

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_Sneak Preview_

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"_Why?" Artimes asked wanting answers._

"_Why not?" Death responded smiling slightly._

"_No, I mean why are you helping me? I'm not important so why bother with me? Why go to all this trouble and don't tell me it's because I'm a Chosen. I'm not buying that for a second. Why are you doing all this?" She demanded._

_The fourth horseman sighed quietly, a little disappointed but not really surprised._

"_So clever yet you still can't see it." He commented making his way back to the fireplace._

"_See what?" She asked confused._

_He turned to face her, leaning on his cane slightly._

"_Your purpose in this world." He answered simply._

"_What is it? What is my purpose?" Artimes demanded desperation in her voice._

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Lady A: Oops! Guess you'll have to read the next chapter to find out what her purpose is in the Supernatural world. I know, I'm so bad. Oh no, I'm not bad…I'm wicked. *smirks evilly* See you there, dearies.


	15. Chapter 15: Saving Grace

Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome back to my Supernatural story called _Chosen_! I am so terribly sorry for the long wait. There is no excuse for keeping you waiting so long. I'll keep the Author's Rant short so you can jump right into the story.

Much love and over flowing gratitude to all those that have faved, followed, and reviewed this story as well as all of my other ones as well.

Now without further ado, I present Chapter Fifteen: Saving Grace!

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Chapter Fifteen: Saving Grace

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_"Geronimo." She whispered taking a deep breath to calm herself._

_Artimes then took off running and without thinking twice, she jumped off the cliff with her feet first and her hands raised in the air. Not once, did she doubt that she had made the right decision because it was about damn time that she believed in herself…just like Sam and Dean believed in her._

The ginger haired woman from another reality could feel the wind rushing past and the thunder cracks from the lightning in the poison cloud gradually faded into nothingness. Her stomach flipped as she let out an undignified squeak of surprise when her environment changed suddenly and she dropped into a rather comfortable chair.

She took a few seconds to catch her breath, her heart still racing like freight train in her chest, and surveyed her immediate surroundings. She nearly laughed out loud when she realized that she was sitting in Doctor John Watson's chair in 221B Baker Street from the hit British television series called _Sherlock_.

Sitting in the consultant detective's chair and drinking a cup of tea was the fourth horseman of the apocalypse, Death himself. She had to prevent herself from jumping out of the chair and doing a victory dance. She just knew that it would be him waiting for her.

"So glad you could drop in, Artimes. Not many humans would have jumped off that cliff and so enthusiastically at that. You never cease to surprise me." He greeted a small smile on his face and amusement in his eyes.

The red head smiled as she was overcome with the need to be just a touch sassy.

"Looking good, Death. Been working out?" She replied her smile dropping into a smirk.

Death set the tea cup back in its saucer as he let out a chuckle, thoroughly amused by the ginger's banter.

"With you in the equation of life, my dear Artimes, you do offer me quite the challenge." He stated before turning serious, "I know what it is that you wish me to do, my dear, but even I cannot stop the effects of the Judas toxin."

Artimes's good mood vanished in an instant. If he couldn't save her then she really was going to die.

"You were my last hope." She started her mind rebelling against the idea of simply giving up, "Ah, screw it! I'll just have to figure out how to beat this bitch myself."

Death had been keeping an eye on the ginger haired woman during her travels and though she had a very strong will, he was still mildly taken aback that she had not yet conceded defeat when faced with certain death. Was this the reason why God seemed so interested in her or did he have something else in mind for the girl with the purest of souls? Yet for some reason, that soul seemed familiar to him, but he could not recall from where. He would investigate this little tidbit later.

"You're still fighting then, little Chosen?" He asked knowing full well what her answer would be.

She stood up, a determined look on her face and fire in her eyes.

"Damn straight I am, skinny. I promised that I would never abandon the Winchesters, so dying by some ridiculous poison is completely out of the question." She answered before starting to pace, "But how to beat it? There has to be a way."

The fourth horseman watched as the red head paced the room, quite similar to a certain consulting detective that she admired. Death, personally, had taken a rather unusual liking to the dimensional traveler and had no desire to take her soul to heaven, leaving her at the mercies of the angels and their often times sadistic whims. He nearly smiled as he recalled an old trick that a certain archangel had used some time ago on one of the previous Chosen.

"Grace." He stated aloud, making the red head pause in her pacing.

"What?" She asked turning to look at him, "What does that mean?"

The horseman was well aware that given the right incentive she would work it out for herself. He set his tea cup down on the side table and rose to his feet.

"Show me how clever you are. Work it out." He challenged quoting one of her favorite television shows to get her to think.

Artimes glanced out the window, seeing the poison cloud creeping closer and closer. She didn't have much time and the fourth horseman of the apocalypse was toying with her.

"I don't have time for riddles, Death." She snapped their gazes meeting once more.

"Best work quickly then." He replied earning himself a rather frustrated and annoyed look from the red head.

She growled in exasperation before beginning to pace again. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, trying to comprehend the tiny sliver of information that Death had given her.

"Grace…grace…grace…an angel's grace, but Castiel healed me with his grace yet it did not cure the toxin in my body, so how would an angel's grace save me if it didn't work before?" She rambled coming to a roadblock in her thought process.

Death resisted the urge to sigh. Perhaps she was spending too much time with the Winchesters because their stupidity was beginning to rub off on her.

"Healing for angels is a trivial task at best and requires an extremely diluted form of their true grace to accomplish something so miraculous." He hinted trying to nudge her in the right direction.

Artimes stopped pacing, the pieces beginning to fall into place. She turned to look at him, her mind formulating a ridiculous but viable theory.

"An angel's grace is not the power of destruction, but the power of creation which is why a diluted form can heal any injury. Up the concentration a little more and they can resurrect. Pure grace can cause an ancient tree to appear overnight in a barren and infertile field." She stated her mind coming to only one conclusion, "Are you saying that I have to absorb an angel's pure, undiluted grace in order to heal myself of the Judas toxin?"

Death smiled slightly, highly pleased with her deductions. For a human, she was incredibly quick minded, capable of making leaps that normal individuals would never have thought of in a million years.

"You never cease to amaze me, my little Chosen. You figured that out rather swiftly. Care to explain how you came to such a conclusion?" He asked curious as to how her mind made the connection.

"Castiel once mentioned that a Chosen's Crest of Purity was similar in nature to that of an angel's grace. Then you mentioned the healing thing. It wasn't a difficult leap; however, a human can't handle the raw power of an angel's grace without an actual angel inside of them to regulate that power and keep it from destroying their physical form." She answered pointing out an obvious flaw.

Death took a few steps towards and she stiffened, not certain of what he was going to do.

"You can." He stated.

"Why?" Artimes asked wanting answers.

"Why not?" Death responded smiling slightly.

"No, I mean why are you helping me? I'm not important so why bother with me? Why go to all this trouble and don't tell me it's because I'm a Chosen. I'm not buying that for a second. Why are you doing all this?" She demanded.

The fourth horseman sighed quietly, a little disappointed but not really surprised.

"So clever yet you still can't see it." He commented making his way back to the fireplace.

"See what?" She asked confused.

He turned to face her, leaning on his cane slightly.

"Your purpose in this world." He answered simply.

"What is it? What is my purpose?" Artimes demanded desperation in her voice.

The fourth horseman was well aware that the ginger haired girl was having difficulties understanding her role in this universe, trying so hard to make sense of it all. God didn't exactly leave her with an instruction manual and she was floundering a bit. He might as well tell her since no one else will.

"This world is on a much darker path than the one you have seen in the other world. Without you, the events you have seen will not come to pass. The bond between the Winchester brothers would have shattered had you not been there to repair it. Worse still, without your guidance in the days to come, they will stray so far into the darkness that it would not only destroy them, body and soul, but would bring about the premature destruction of this world." He explained.

The red head swallowed hard as the information sank into her brain.

"Great…no pressure then." She replied caught between disbelief and the heavy weight of responsibility.

"There is no pressure whatsoever…just continue to be yourself. Be what they need." He countered.

"And what's that?" She asked slightly afraid of the answer.

"Their heart." Death answered simply, "Anymore questions?"

"Loads, but we don't have time for a lengthy discussion." She replied gesturing out the window towards the toxic cloud trying to kill her.

"Quite. Try not to get killed again. This is the second time I have had to intervene." He commented walking over to her.

"When was the first time?" She asked confused.

"The Witnesses." He answered simply, shocking her.

Her sapphire eyes grew wide as realization dawned on her face. She really had died that day, but he had brought her back. She mumbled out a thank you and he chuckled softly in response.

"I can give your body enough strength to allow you to become conscious, but you will have a minute at most. I will warn you now, it will be highly unpleasant and extremely painful. Once awake, summon Castiel and tell him what must be done. If he refuses, make it an order or you will die." He instructed his tone completely serious.

Artimes did not like the idea of ordering her favorite blue eyed angel around like his superiors liked to do, but the alternative was dying and that was something that she could not do. She would not break her promise to the Winchesters. She would stay alive…for them.

"Do it." She stated her eyes burning with determination.

Death placed his hand on her forehead and closed his eyes.

* * *

Sam and Dean had been waiting hours for the dark haired angel named Castiel to return, but he had yet to come back and the longer they waited, the less hopeful they became. Artimes's pulse was getting weaker and weaker. She was not going to last much longer and the boys were starting to lose their emotional control because of it.

The last thing either one of them expected was the ginger's eyes to snap open and for her to start screaming her head off in pain. The boys were too shocked to move, but fortunately, she managed to regain control of herself and took a deep breath.

"Niis Adagita Ol, Castiel!" She shouted speaking in a language that neither brother had ever heard before.

There was a fluttering of wings as Castiel appeared in the room. He quickly walked to her side and knelt down next to the bed.

"Your grace…your grace can save me." She whispered her breathing heavy and labored.

"But I have already…" He started only for her to cut him off.

"Not use it, give it. You have to give me your grace…untempered, undiluted, pure." She continued.

"But you can't…" He started again.

"I can. I order you to do it. Not much time left. Please…Castiel." She commanded before falling unconscious again.

There was a pregnant pause before the blue eyed angel ordered the Winchester brothers to move back, away from Artimes. Both brothers did as they were told, utterly confused and emotionally drained.

"What did she mean? What did she want you to do?" Sam questioned.

"She wants me to transfer a large amount of my power, referred to as grace, into her body to eliminate the Judas toxin, but no human can survive the raw power of an angel's grace without an angel inside to regulate it." The dark haired angel answered opening her mouth.

"So what the hell are you waiting for?! Do it already!" Dean ordered harshly.

"What I am about to could kill us all and anyone within a fifty mile radius of this building…forgive my hesitation." Castiel replied almost sarcastically as his eyes shined with an electric blue light.

The dark haired angel expanded his wings, the shadow of them appearing on the wall behind him. He lowered his mouth to hers and allowed his grace to flow into her body.

* * *

The fourth horseman of the apocalypse had his arms wrapped around the exhausted red head, trying to shield her. He was using all of his power to keep the poison cloud from engulfing her completely. An electric blue fog began to pour down from above, cutting through the toxic cloud and dissipating it.

"What is that?" She asked tiredly.

"Your angel is calling. Time to go home." Death answered nudging her towards Castiel's grace.

"Will it hurt?" She asked timidly as she took a step towards it.

"I won't lie to you, my little Chosen. You will wish that you were dead." He answered honestly.

Artimes stopped and took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves.

"See you at the apocalypse." She said looking back at him.

"I look forward to it." He replied smiling.

"I remember it well." She countered causing him to chuckle.

"Until next we meet, my dear Artimes, but not too soon, I hope." He stated with a nod.

She smiled again and turned back towards the electric blue fog. She took another breath and steeled her resolve. If she could survive this, she could survive anything the Supernatural universe threw at her.

"Allonsy!" She shouted before leaping into the fog.

* * *

Castiel was sitting against the wall out cold, looking more human than the boys had ever seen him. Dean and Sam were at her sides once more. Her back arched as her body began to glow in a soft blue light. She screamed and thrashed about on the bed. The younger Winchester did his best to pin her down, but she shoved him away with an inhuman like strength. He was sent flying through the air and collided with the wall, sinking to the floor out cold.

"Sammy!" The elder Winchester yelled before redirecting his attention to the still struggling red head, "Come on, Artz. You can do it. Come back. Fight."

Her body stopped thrashing as she slumped back onto the bed like a rag doll, the blue glow fading away. He immediately grabbed her wrist and checked for a pulse. He swallowed hard when couldn't find one. He checked the pulse point on her neck and still nothing.

"No…don't do this to me again. Artz, I can't…I'm not strong enough…" He started trying to hold it together but the pain was too strong, "Artz…I need you."

He let his head fall against her chest, tears already beginning to fall. Why? Why did this happen? What had she ever done to deserve something like this? She only wanted to help, to be there for them, to make them happy, to give them some kind of stability in their screwed up lives.

His heart felt like it was being ripped out of his chest. He couldn't find any traction, anything to anchor himself. He just kept losing people; his mother, his father, his brother once, and now he had lost her…his Artz. He didn't realize just how important she had become to him until now.

She had come into his life, breezing right in like she owned the place. She was sassy and spunky. She could dish out as well as she received. She cared about him as him; not as a hunter, not as some stupid character from a TV show, but as himself. She made him happy, happier than he had ever been. She made him feel alive when it felt he had died inside.

Why? They had come so far in such a short time. Why did it have to end this way? He was completely useless, unable to save someone that was precious to him. The times they spent together flooded his mind; the time they spent that first day in the kitchen, that bombshell of a kiss, the way she laughed, the way her eyes sparkled when she was happy.

He was on the verge of a complete emotional collapse and all because of a single woman. One of the most renowned hunters of the supernatural world was crumbling into oblivion and there was nothing that could stop it...almost nothing.

"Dean." Artimes spoke.

His heart skipped a beat, his mind coming to a complete halt. He slowly lifted his head and he was stunned by what he saw. Her eyes were swirling with an electric blue light.

"Artz." He breathed his voice barely above a whisper.

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Lady Artz: That's it for Chapter Fifteen: Saving Grace! I know, you want to kill me for ending it there, but the next chapter takes on a whole different tone so it was best to end it here. Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Sixteen: Dancing Soul! Stay Tuned!


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